


Spider-Man: Commencement

by Spideyfan62



Series: Peter Parker's Senior Year Survival [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Comicverse), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awesome Michelle Jones, Awesome Peter Parker, Gen, Graduation, Insane Norman Osborn, Norman Osborn Being a Jerk, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Mid-Credits Scene Compliant, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Supportive May Parker (Spider-Man), everything changes, potentially more tags to be added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 53,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27126175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spideyfan62/pseuds/Spideyfan62
Summary: Commencement: the end of one thing and the start of something new.Things are going well for Peter as graduation nears, but when he receives a mysterious letter one night, events are set into motion that threaten everything he has and has worked for. He will be pushed like never before as he fights to save his city, his loved ones, and the opportunity to make it to a new phase of life. Familiar foes return, alliances are forged, and relationships are tested in the epic conclusion to the Senior Year of one Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.The end is here.
Relationships: Betty Brant/Ned Leeds, Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), James "Bucky" Barnes & Peter Parker & Sam Wilson, Michelle Jones & May Parker (Spider-Man), Michelle Jones & Peter Parker & Ned Leeds & Betty Brant, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Yuriko "Yuri" Watanabe
Series: Peter Parker's Senior Year Survival [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761355
Comments: 72
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this chapter: Peter reflects on the year, talks about the future, and receives something very unexpected.

Peter walked through the doors of Midtown Tech, navigating the hallways until he came to his locker. His early morning patrol had gone smoothly and quickly, as had most of his patrols in general of late. Naturally, he was already resigned to the idea that it wouldn't last, but if there was one thing he had learned over the past year, it was to enjoy the good, easy times while he had them. He soon approached his locker, twisted the combination to it, and opened it to gather what he needed for his 1st period class. As he did, his enhanced senses picked up the presence of someone next to him. Even though his locker door shielded them from his view, he knew exactly who it was, and he smiled at the realization. He finally closed his locker to reveal none other than one Michelle Jones, who was leaning against the locker next to him, a pleasant smile stretched across her face.

"Hi," he said, letting out a smile. 

"Hey," she replied, and they greeted each other with a quick, gentle peck on the lips. "You ready?" 

She didn't need to specify for him to understand what she was referring to, as it was what was likely on the mind of every senior at the school: graduation was a week away. He looked up and to the side, sucking in air and letting it out through his nose. Finally, he looked back at her. 

"Yes and no," he replied. 

"That's cheating," she replied, clearly fake frustration coming through in her voice. 

"It's a valid answer," Peter defended, the smile still not having left his face. "Me, you, Ned and Betty...we've all made so many memories here. I would ask you what your answer is, but I think I can guess." 

"Oh yeah?" M.J. inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Fire away."

"You've been done with this place since the moment you entered through the doors for the first time freshman year," Peter stated in a matter of fact manner. "If anyone is ready for the next phase of our lives, it's you." 

M.J. let out a huff, shaking her head. "Guess you really do know me well," she said. "Though, I can't say that there won't be SOME elements I will miss."

"What could those be?" Peter said, letting out a bit of a dismissive scoff. For as long as he had known her, M.J. had made her disdain for high school obvious from the beginning; less so for the educational aspect and more everything that came along with it. 

"The simplicity of it," she said plainly. 

Peter squinted his eyes curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked, ignoring how the hall had become a lot more crowded with their fellow students in the last couple minutes. 

M.J. looked down for a moment, as if she was hesitant to admit something, before looking into Peter's eyes again. "Before you and I happened, my goal was just to keep my head down and do what I needed to do to get away to college. Then you, Peter Parker, came in and ruined all of that."

"Well excuse me," Peter said sarcastically, putting his hands up. 

M.J. let out a faint laugh, smiling wide before continuing. "You were someone I could enjoy the simple things with. It actually gave me something to look forward to in coming here every day. What I used to associate with boring chatter or mundane activities, I now associate with you." 

"Wow," Peter said, admittedly impressed by his girlfriend's reflective state this morning. "Graduation really has made you nostalgic today, hasn't it?"

"That, and the fact that my mom has been telling me that I need to quit wishing away the time we have left here," M.J. conceded. "So I hope you enjoyed it while you got it. After all, neither of us are going anywhere really." 

Peter smiled, the memory of the day he learned he and M.J. would be attending college together still very fresh in his mind. Words couldn't describe how relieved he was that they would not have to try and make a long distance relationship work. Being Spider-Man was hard enough; the last thing they needed was another thing to pile on. 

"I suppose that's a fair point," he admitted, just in time for the warning bell to ring, indicating it was time for them to head to their first class of the day. "I think that means we need to get to class."

"Four years is all it took for you to figure that out?" M.J. asked in the most sarcastic voice imaginable. 

Peter tilted his head, his face morphing into an unamused stare. "Ha ha," he let out. "You're hilarious." 

"I already knew that," M.J. teased, giving a playful wink as she began walking down the hall towards their first period class. 

Peter smiled as he let out a sigh, shaking his head as he walked down the hall after her. 

\---

Peter took his seat as he put his lunch tray down on the table in front of him. M.J. sat next to him on his left, and Ned and Betty sat across from them. As they ate, the latter two were overall less chatty than usual, which came as no surprise. Whereas Peter was lucky enough to be going to college with M.J, the other couple wasn't so lucky. Ned had told him that she had accepted it, and Peter believed him, but as they entered their last week, it was clear that all the excitement only helped to make it fresh in their minds once more. Still, they maintained conversation fairly well, and seemed to be doing alright in focusing on the present. 

As they talked, Peter occasionally caught Flash's eyes across the lunchroom, and every time Flash would look away. Eventually, the others noticed this as well. 

"Why does he keep looking at you?" Ned asked. 

"I'm not sure," Peter replied. Frankly, he wasn't sure of much of anything when it came to Flash these days. Over the last few months, the former bully had backed off almost completely from his jabs and insults, the threat of losing his mom likely dominating his mind. Peter had tried to check in from time to time, and Flash had gradually become more and more receptive and willing to talk about it, but that was still on a particularly good day. There were times when it seemed like he wanted desperately to really let someone in, but the reputation he had spent the last four years carving for himself loomed over him. 

"So, you guys doing graduation parties?" Betty asked. 

"I'm not," M.J. said flatly. 

"Glad to see your staying consistent at least," Betty joked. "Peter, what about you?" 

"Yeah, May's making a big deal about it," Peter replied. "She'll probably take a million and one pictures to make sure I remember it for the rest of my life." 

"That's May for ya," Ned concurred. If anyone else had a good idea of the way May worked, it would be Ned. Being Peter's best friend since forever ago kinda came with that little stipulation. "Honestly, she'll probably do the same at mine!" 

"Oh yeah," Peter agreed in between bites. 

"Look, guys," Betty said, "whatever we're doing afterward, let's just try and enjoy this last week, tests and everything, okay?" 

"Absolutely," Peter agreed, raising his small glass of water. Ned and Betty raised theirs, but M.J. just gave him a look. "Come on," he pleaded, putting on what he guessed was the cutest begging face he could muster. By some miracle it won her over, however reluctantly, and she raised her glass as well, and they dinged their glasses in agreement. 

\---

"Well Doc, how are we looking?" Peter asked of his boss, his curiosity overflowing. Dr. Connors was analyzing the latest "fruits" of their labor (a pun he had made in his head many a time since they started this research), looking to see if there were any deformities or other issues. 

"Actually, this looks like it could be our next big step," Dr. Connors replied, raising Peter's hopes. Ever since the doc had switched gears from reptilian DNA to growing the world's most sustainable food, the two of them had hit many bumps along the way. However, Connors believed he had made a potential breakthrough that could pave the way for the results they were looking for, and this was looking like the first step. 

After a moment, the analysis was complete. "Well, there are no genetic abnormalities or anything wrong with it that we can see," the doc said. "Now comes the taste test." 

Taking that as his cue, Peter grabbed the apple and took a bite. Since his boss had a weaker stomach, he had volunteered to do the taste tests to see if the fruit they bore was as edible as it was capable of growing in harsh conditions. He chewed on the same bite several times, almost waiting for a sudden wave of sourness to come over his taste buds. This time, however, it never came. 

"Doc, I think we did it!" Peter exclaimed. "It's delicious!" 

"Settle down, Peter," Connors said as he let out a laugh. "This is certainly promising, but we need to see more consistent results first."

"Still, this is huge," Peter said, his enthusiasm not diminished by the doc's caution. 

"What's huge?" came a voice near the front door. 

"Dear, I think we're finally getting somewhere," Dr. Connors said as he went over and greeted his wife with a gentle kiss. 

"Oh yeah?" she asked, her face bright with hopeful curiosity. It had been amazing to watch as Martha had been so supportive of her husband through all the setbacks they had faced. Peter just hoped that, whatever way he tried to contribute to the world using his scientific prowess, M.J. wouldn't have to put up with as many setbacks, though this was highly unlikely. Science, no matter what field, has always been trial and error when it came to breakthroughs, and Peter knew that was something that wasn't going to change anytime soon. 

He walked over to the the Connors' as he and the doc explained the latest in their research and what it meant going forward. Martha had accumulated enough knowledge through her years of being wife to a scientist and her time in the medical field to at least be able to have a grasp at what was being discussed, and she also reacted excitedly to all that was shared to her. 

"Careful dear, next thing you know you'll win a Nobel Prize or something," Martha teased. 

"I don't know about all that, Martha," Dr. Connors answered bashfully. 

"Are you kidding??" Peter questioned. "If this keeps up, it's a guarantee!" 

"We'll see," Connors said. "You better run on home, Peter. You have a big rest of the week ahead of you." 

"I guess so," Peter replied, running to the office to grab his backpack. He bid the Connors good night, and was on his way.

\---

Peter took another sip of water as he continued pouring over his studies. He was less concerned about his grades themselves as he was regarding the implications for his race for valedictorian against M.J. The two of them were likely neck and neck for the honor, if their frequent individual test competitions were anything to go off of. 

"You plan on actually talking with your dear old aunt at some point?" May asked. He looked up to see her leaning against the counter, her face one of teasing sadness. He had elected to study in the more open area of the kitchen/living room and not the more confined space of his own room, but he was only now realizing he had hardly said a word to his aunt since he got back home, and he still planned on doing a quick patrol that night. 

"I'm sorry May," Peter said, setting down the notes he was looking over. He leaned back and ran his hands over his eyes. "I didn't mean to be rude. I guess I'm just taking this whole competition for valedictorian thing a little too seriously."

"Peter, you've always taken academics seriously," May acknowledged. "You just have found a particular way of channeling it. I think that's good; it shows that you and M.J. do well in pushing each other."

Peter let out a huff of air in response. "Yeah, I guess so," he said just before taking another sip of his water." 

"Hey," May said, grabbing his hand in her own. He slowly set his glass down and looked up at her. "I am so proud of you, and I know Ben would be too." 

"Thanks," Peter said after a moment. His aunt had said something along those lines many times before, but it never seemed to lose its touching affect on him. "I couldn't have done this without you though." 

"I'm just glad I've been able to play some small role in the man you've become," she said. 

"Small?" Peter questioned. He was about to say more, when suddenly there were a couple of knocks at the front door, then what looked like a letter slid underneath it. Peter looked at his aunt, who shared his expression of concern and curiosity. Peter got up from the seat, slowly walking over to what looked like a letter that was lying just a few inches inside their front door. He took a look out through the little hole in the door, but whoever it was had already left. He reached over and picked up the envelope, turning it over to the front. What was written on the front of it sent several alarms going off in his head at once. 

"To Spider-Man."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a moment of pondering this idea, he finally grew tired of his curiosity and finally forced himself to tear open the envelope, revealing the letter inside. As he opened it, he kept waiting for his spider-sense to go off, thinking maybe whoever sent this did something obscure like plant tracking nanites on it to embed themselves in his skin when he touched it, or put some kind of poison on it. Nothing like that was alerted to him, so he allowed himself to begin reading the letter. 
> 
> "To My Favorite Web-Slinger," it began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Peter is shocked by what he reads and immediately seeks out answers.

Peter just stared at the envelope as he slowly walked back over towards the counter. He was curious as to who could have sent the letter; could it have been one of his allies using an unusual manner for something top secret? Could it have come from an enemy, taunting him with this little gesture that implied the knowledge of Spider-Man's true identity? His mind became overwhelmed to the point where he just froze, his eyes fixed on the letter as he stood over the counter. 

"Whose that from?" he heard his aunt ask. 

"I don't know," Peter admitted, "but it says 'To Spider-Man'." He rotated the envelope to show her the front. 

"Must be something from Fury," May said almost dismissively as she gathered some plates for their very late dinner. "Probably just sent someone to drop it off." 

"Maybe," Peter said, but in his mind he was a lot more skeptical than he let on. Fury never resorted to anything less than a phone call at the least. Perhaps something happened and the situation called for it? After a moment of pondering this idea, he finally grew tired of his curiosity and finally forced himself to tear open the envelope, revealing the letter inside. As he opened it, he kept waiting for his spider-sense to go off, thinking maybe whoever sent this did something obscure like plant tracking nanites on it to embed themselves in his skin when he touched it, or put some kind of poison on it. Nothing like that was alerted to him, so he allowed himself to begin reading the letter. 

"To My Favorite Web-Slinger," it began.

"I must commend you, Spider-Man. For many years, even before my true self was unveiled, I had not encountered a real challenge in many years. I had known nothing but success for a long time, my supremacy in nearly everything I did unchallenged. I was beginning to long for a true competitor, someone who would push me to my limits. That's when I found you. 

From the moment I buried you under all that rubble and you still came out alive, I knew you would finally provide the challenge I desired, but you continued to surpass even my greatest expectations. With each battle, you proved more resilient. Then, I learned who you were...you can't imagine my surprise when I learned my greatest enemy was a 17 year old kid, one that I had recently met. To this day, I have no doubt that fate brought us together, so that we could both reach out highest potential. After all, every hero is only as great as their greatest enemy.

You've shown me my weak points, the areas where I must improve, and I thank you for that. Now, as I prepare for my imminent return, I have corrected those mistakes, and I am almost ready. In the coming days, I will push you to your limits. I will take everything from you; you will only be able to watch helplessly as your city becomes mine. Then, once your failure is complete, once you have lost everything....then I will take your life from you, and in doing so achieve my greatest victory. 

Looking forward to our reunion, and the challenge that awaits in it. 

Yours truly,

The Green Goblin." 

The letter slipped from Peter's hand, quietly landing on the floor as he staggered backwards slowly. His whole body began to shake in fear as the revelation washed over him like a wave: Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, was coming back. In a second, May was at his side. He could hear her saying something to him, but his mind was still reeling too much for him to process what it was. Surely this wasn't happening; perhaps he actually fell asleep in his studies, and this was all just a dream...

"Peter, are you okay?" May said as she shook his right arm, proving beyond any doubt that this was in fact reality. "What did it say?" 

He slowly turned to his aunt, his fists beginning to clench as his fear gradually turned to rage. "It was from Norman Osborn," he said. 

"What?" May said. Her face was mostly confused, but he could see a tinge of fear in them as well. "That's impossible; he's still in the raft, isn't he?" 

"I..." Peter thought about her question. Surely if Osborn had escaped, wouldn't Fury or Hill have alerted him to it? He had told them what that monster tried to do to M.J, so they he certainly would've been their first call should something have gone wrong. 

He had to be sure though. Moving quickly over to the counter, he grabbed his phone and dialed Fury. He picked up the letter in his free hand, and there was only one thought going through his mind: he needed answers, now. 

"Hello?" Fury answered, though since he knew just about everything, he surely knew who was calling. 

"Fury, I just got a letter from Norman Osborn at my apartment," Peter said, getting straight to the point. 

"What?" Fury said, and it was clear the man understood the gravity of the situation. 

"He hasn't escaped, has he?" Peter said, a tinge of anger in his voice as the thought of Fury keeping something from him again came to mind. 

"No," Fury said plainly, "but let me contact the people at the Raft, so we can be sure." 

Peter was almost caught off guard by Fury's gesture, but he was certainly grateful. "Thanks, let me know as soon as you find something." He hung up, and began the wait for a call back. He knew he wasn't going to be able to focus on his studies, and he seemed to have more and more nervous energy by the minute, so he paced. Back and forth he went, constantly checking his phone anytime he walked by it, even though it was on full ring. 

"Peter, sweetheart..." May said, but she paused there. She had been quiet in what had felt like the eternity it had been since the phone call (even though it had only been a couple minutes), perhaps because she wasn't sure what to say. Peter knew he was making his aunt more nervous by pacing like this, but he couldn't help it. Staying still felt like an impossible goal right now as his mind continued to go crazy with possibilities. If the Goblin was really back, what was his new plan? What were the "mistakes" he had alluded to in the letter? How could he possibly know what to plan for?

"Peter," May said again, but this time she got right in front of him. She didn't say anything else, but pulled him into a hug instead. Peter allowed himself to give in to his aunt's motherly tendencies, embracing her as well. In that moment, it was clear that was she was acknowledging: she couldn't fully understand everything that was going through his head now, but she was going to be here for him. 

He just hoped he could protect her well enough to keep her around for a while. 

Finally, Peter's phone rang again, and he disconnected himself from his aunt in order to get it. He saw it was from an unknown number, and he answered it. 

"What did you find out?" he asked, once more getting straight to the point.

"He's still in secure lock up," Fury said. "I spoke to secretary Ross himself and saw footage of Osborn in the cell." 

Okay, so the footage could've been faked, but if he had heard it from the man who basically ran the place...

"Then how did I get a letter from him?" Peter asked, that question glaring in his mind, making even less sense with what he knew now. 

"I don't know," Fury admitted. "Come to the Avengers facility upstate. We can analyze the letter to see if it can give us any more clues."

"Okay, I'll be there soon," Peter said before promptly hanging up. He darted up to his room to change into his Spider-Man suit. Within seconds, his clothes were discarded and his suit was attached to his figure, sans mask. 

"Where are you going?" May asked, having followed him up to his room but hung back until his change was complete. 

"The Avengers facility," he answered, holding up the letter as he continued. "Hopefully I can get some answers up there on where this thing came from."

"Okay," she said. "I hope you find them." Peter could see the fear in his aunt's eyes. It wasn't a fear for her own life, but for his. He too remembered what happened the last time the Goblin was in their lives. He had been obsessed with tracking that maniac down, especially after he killed Captain Stacy. No doubt she was concerned that he would revert to these ways and get himself killed this time in the process. 

"May," he said, stepping up to his aunt and putting a gloved hand on her shoulder to try and reassure her. "This won't be like last time." 

"I hope so," May said. "I know what that man does to you, Peter, just...please, let him get inside your head." 

"I won't," he responded confidently, though he wasn't as much so on the inside. Her concerns were definitely valid, but he was determined not to give Osborn any advantages, whatever the man's current condition or location. He turned towards and walked towards the window, slipping on his mask and diving out into the night. 

Several minutes of web swinging and gliding later, Peter found himself coming upon the Avengers facility. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by Fury and Hill. He immediately handed the letter to the latter. 

"We'll run some tests, including a handwriting comparison," Hill said as they began walking towards where these tests would be conducted. "We'll get answers." 

"I sure hope so," Peter said, removing his mask. After going down a few hallways, they finally came to a room full of analytical equipment. If there was any trace of, well, anything that could give them a lead, they would find it. Peter wasn't even certain of what they would be looking for; perhaps the smallest traces of something that could tell them where it was likely to have come from? He pictured it being really hard to get a letter out of a place like the Raft, and he doubted even more than someone like Osborn would even be granted access to what he needed to write something. 

Peter watched as a small team of people performed a series of elaborate tests and scans on the letter. The process was taking a while, which made him a little anxious, but he knew the wait would be worth it in order to make sure they did the most thorough job possible. 

"Here," came a voice next to him, drawing his attention away from the tests. It was Bruce, who was offering him a water bottle. 

"Thanks," Peter said, accepting Bruce's gesture and taking the water bottle, promptly unscrewing the cap and drinking from it. 

"What brings you here so late?" Bruce asked. 

"You could say it's my own personal green guy problem," Peter said, offering a knowing look back towards Bruce, who smirked. 

"Osborn again, huh?" Bruce asked. Peter had told the gentle giant about his greatest foe several months back, so it was no surprise to him that the man put the pieces together. 

"Yeah," he answered. "According to Fury, Ross says he's still in the Raft, so we're trying to figure out how this letter was slipped under my door an hour ago."

"Hmm," Bruce offered in response. "Well, the only thing I would trust Ross on would be the state of his prisoners, so I'm sure he's telling the truth." 

"I feel like that should make me feel better than it is," Peter said, taking another drink from the water bottle in his hand. "Instead, it just seems to lead to more questions." 

"Don't worry kid," Bruce replied, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder. "If there's anyone that figure out where that thing came from, it would be these guys." 

"Thanks," Peter said, trying his best of accept Bruce's assurance. He talked with him for a little while longer as he waited before Fury and Hill both finally approached him. 

"So, what do we have?" Peter asked. 

"Well, first of all, it doesn't match Osborn's handwriting, but that alone doesn't mean he didn't write it," Hill cautioned. 

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, a little confused. 

"There are some instances of people with multiple personalities where there is a difference in handwriting between them," she explained. 

"Okay," Peter said, preparing himself for wherever this conversation might be headed. "What else did you find out?" 

"We also found the smallest traces of diclofop. I'm guessing you already know what that is?" Fury said. 

"Yeah, it's a herbicide," Peter answered. "Why would that be on the letter though?" 

"It turns out that there was an old plant that used to produce it over in Midtown, but it was shut down a few years ago," Hill explained. "It's been abandoned for years." 

"Okay, got it," Peter said. "I'll check that out. Anything else I should know before I do?" When Fury and Hill shook their heads, Peter put his mask back on and immediately left the room, before Fury and Hill both caught up with him. 

"You sure you don't want some back up?" Hill asked. "This could be a trap." 

"Yep," Peter said, "but my spider-sense should give me the heads up. If something goes particularly wrong, I'll contact you guys." 

Fury and Hill said nothing else, only nodding, so Peter exited the building, making his way to the facility. On his way there, he tried to prepare himself mentally for whatever might be going on based off what he knew. They said it was unlikely Osborn wrote the letter, but...it sounded so personal. Someone could've always wrote it down for him, but he didn't picture Osborn being allowed any visitors. Bottom line, there still wasn't a lot that was certain. 

He arrived at the old herbicide facility, opting to enter via a hatch on the roof. Gathering his wits, he jumped down, landing on a railway overlooking the place. The building was completely dark, so Peter walked along carefully, waiting for his spider-sense to go off at any moment. Suddenly, an explosion went off in the center of the floor, but it was nothing serious enough to alert him in advance. He looked down at where it happened, and he soon saw why: it wasn't an explosion meant to destroy, but to bring forth a message written in fire on the floor. 

"NOT YET, BUT SOON."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is only the beginning. 
> 
> Hope your enjoying this! 
> 
> My thoughts and prayers continue to be with you all. Please, stay safe and healthy. 
> 
> "Do not fret because of those who are evil..." Psalm 37:1-2


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Peter, wake up." 
> 
> Peter shot up to a sitting position on his bed, letting out heavy breathes like he had just run a hundred marathons, his eyes wide as they could be. 
> 
> "Hey, hey, it's okay," he heard her say. "I'm here." It was May, who was sitting on the side of his bed and had her arm against his shoulder, which was helping to steady his breathing. It was really her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: the Goblin continues to haunt Peter, May and M.J. help him refocus, and a new situation develops.

"You failed, Spider-Man," the Goblin cackled maniacally. 

"No," Peter said, barely able to muster any words at all. He crawled slowly to the edge of the roof they were on, looking out into the city. Everything was on fire, the sky itself lighting up from the blaze. 

"Oh yes," the Goblin said slowly, as if to fully rub into Peter his victory. 

It was working. 

"You couldn't protect this city from me," the Goblin gloated, "just like you couldn't protect them." Peter followed Osborn's gesturing of his arm towards the building's door that let out onto the rooftop. It opened, and suddenly he saw M.J, May and Ned, each one escorted by one of the Goblin's men. They were bound at their wrists, and each one was forced to their knees. The men who escorted them then moved directly ahead of each one of them. 

"The girl you love," the Goblin said as he strode behind M.J, running his green gloved hand through her hair, her eyes closing and her whole body shaking at his touch. 

"Don't touch her you freak!" Peter screamed. He tried to force himself up, but a wave of pain forced him back down again. How had this even happened? 

"The woman who raised you," the Goblin continued, seemingly unfazed by the Peter's rage. He brushed the side of May's cheek, causing her to shudder as well. "And finally, your best friend," Osborn said as he came to Ned, who was crying.

"These are the three people you love more than anyone or anything else in the whole world," the Goblin added as he rounded the corner of them all. He then slowly walked back towards Peter. His loved ones were calling his name through their crying and fear, begging him to help them somehow, but no matter what he did, Peter was just too weak to even get to his feet. 

"And now....now you will watch them all die!" The Goblin grabbed Peter by the top of his head, his enemy's grip clamping hard around his skull. He looked into the eyes of his loved ones, all three of them crying and trembling in fear, and there was nothing he could do. 

"Men, open fire!" the Goblin yelled. 

"NOOOOO!!" Peter screamed as the sound of gun shots rang loudly threw the air. 

\---

"Peter, wake up." 

Peter shot up to a sitting position on his bed, letting out heavy breathes like he had just run a hundred marathons, his eyes wide as they could be. 

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he heard her say. "I'm here." It was May, who was sitting on the side of his bed and had her arm against his shoulder, which was helping to steady his breathing. It was really her. 

She was here. She was alive. 

Peter threw his arms around her and pulled her close, taking in the warm, motherly feeling of her full embrace. 

"You're still here," Peter breathed out in relief, letting his eyes close for the first time since he woke up as reality fully set in. 

She was alive. They all were. It had just been a dream, a terrible nightmare. 

"Yes dear, I'm here," she said gently. He was fortunate his aunt had learned a long time ago just how to deal with his more intense dreams. 

He finally released his hold on his aunt, looking at her for a moment before running over his face with his own hand. 

"It all felt so real." 

"But it wasn't," May said. "We're all still here." 

"Sorry again for getting back so late last night," Peter said, straightening up against the wall. "I didn't mean to worry you." He'd hated making her concerned, but after he found the note written in fire for him last night, Peter was taking no chances. He spent hours canvasing the area, searching for clues that he could trace to the Goblin, or at least one of his associates. He'd even called Yuri out there, and she shared his concern after seeing what was left for him. Because Peter couldn't reveal where the letter had been specifically sent to in order to preserve his secret identity, her hands were tied in the matter, but she was certainly not about to just let the matter slide either. She told him she would spread word around the police department to keep an eye out, especially as it related to gang activity, since Osborn had previously brought them all under his rule last time. The point was, nothing was off the table. 

By the time Peter had returned to his and May's apartment, it was almost 3:30 in the morning. Of course, as she usually did, May stayed up waiting for him. While he was certainly grateful to be greeted by her, he was concerned about what another four years of such little rest would do to her, since he planned on living at home during his undergrad years. He made sure to be quick about telling her what he found out and what happened, and they put the matter to bed for the night after he had a quick snack. All of that late night investigating had left him starving. 

"Well, you can repay me by getting to school on time," May said, her voice both stern and gentle at the same time. Must be a gift that mother figures had. "I don't want to hear any debates about this." It was clear she was trying to put her foot down early on this time, given what happened during Osborn's previous tenure in their lives.

Peter sighed, slowly nodding in response. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Based on what they knew right now, there was no reason for him not to go to school. As best it looked, Norman was still incarcerated at the Raft, and Fury and Hill had promised him that they would be looking into the matter after Peter had told them about what was there for him at the old herbicide plant. Whatever emissary or crony of the Goblin's was doing all this, there were a lot of people looking for him or her right now, so he knew it would be best for him to get to focus on finishing up his classes. 

He glanced at his phone, the realization dawning on him that he only had a few minutes to head out the door. May had left the room a moment ago, so he quickly shut his door, throwing off his clothes and picking whatever was at the top of his dresser drawers to wear. Throwing on his selections in a hurry, he stuffed his Spider-Man suit into his backpack and opened his door in a hurry, sprinting out of his room. He barely had time to snatch up a waffle May had laid out for him before he was out the door. 

\---

A late subway ride later and a lot of running later, Peter collapsed in his first period Chemistry seat just in time for the bell to ring. He dropped his backpack to the ground, letting out a sigh of relief into his arm as he buried his face in it. 

"Rough night?" M.J. asked from the seat next to him. 

Peter looked at her. It was still hard to shake his vivid dream, where she was bound, crying and shaking uncontrollably out of fear. It wasn't real though; not last night, and not ever if he could help it. 

"Peter," she said, snapping him out of his own head. "Why are you looking at me like that?" 

"Alright class," their teacher said, preventing Peter from answering. "I see no reason for delaying this, so I'll go ahead and hand out your final exams. If you finish early, you may turn them in at my desk and be dismissed if you like." 

As the teacher started handing out their final, Peter turned to face M.J. 

"Let's talk later," he whispered, and she just nodded. Moments later, they received their exams. Peter took a deep breath; if he could just focus long enough to get through this, he could talk to M.J. about what was happening and the dream he had. As he worked through the various equations and problems, he kept that in the back of his mind. Occasionally he shook his head to get an image from the nightmare out of his mind, and would resume his work. Eventually, with still 15 minutes left to spare, he grabbed his paper and headed up front, M.J. right behind him as they were the first two finished. Normally he would double check his work, but he was confident enough that he did well, and besides, his brain was going to explode if he didn't get the chance to talk to someone in greater detail about what was happening. 

The door behind them had barely shut when Peter began. His mind moving a million miles and hour (with her occasionally having to still him for a moment to help him regain his focus), he told her everything: the letter, the results of the tests on it, how that had lead him to the plant and what he had found there, then the nightmare. When Peter had finally finished for a moment, his girlfriend offered nothing but silence in response at first. Certainly, it was a lot to process.

For several moments, there was nothing but prolonged silence. Even without saying a word, however, her eyes told the story. It was obvious to Peter had he looked into them that a level of fear was washing over her too. The Goblin had invaded her home and nearly gotten the chance to kill her with his bare hands. After a moment, however, she swallowed hard and looked him straight in the eye, any trace of nerves replaced by a willful determination. 

"He's not going to win," M.J. said firmly. "He's still in prison, so he has to do all the work. I don't care what plans he has, he's not going to win." 

"How can you sound so sure about this?" Peter asked her. His girlfriend's resolve was certainly impressive, but he couldn't see why she had reason to think that way. 

M.J. took a step closer to him, her dark eyes staring at him with a look so intense he could feel it in his soul. 

"Because the person he has to go through, more than anyone else, is you." 

As M.J.'s words washed over him, Peter felt himself straighten up, almost on instinct. There was something about what she said, the certainty of her words, that conveyed one thing above all else: she had faith in him. That faith brought renewed strength to his muscles and focus to his mind. He could do this. 

As long as she and those he cared about were in his corner, backing him every step of the way, he could do this. 

\---

Once Ned and Betty had joined them for lunch, Peter took the opportunity to fill them in on the situation as well. He believed it was best that they knew, even with Osborn still incarcerated, and M.J. had agreed. Betty, while definitely expressing concern, still seemed to take it pretty well, probably due to her inexperience dealing with those situations. Ned, however, was clearly taking more time to process the situation as well. It was clearly not lost on his best friend how distant he had become the last time the Goblin was in the picture. As badly as Mysterio had gotten to him, NO ONE had messed with Peter's head quite like the Green Goblin. 

"So, who do you think could've gotten you the letter?" Ned asked once the gist of it had been discussed. 

"I don't know," Peter admitted. There were definitely some possibilities. For instance, though the Goblin was captured and imprisoned, the Chameleon was still roaming free. Peter had sought to track him down for months, even asking for Fury's help in the matter, but nothing had come up. Really, it should've been no surprise that a master of disguise could suddenly appear as though he had vanished off the face of the earth. 

There was also whoever had helped Osborn create the Goblin serum in the first place, but the identity of this individual were never discovered. That idea didn't make as much sense though; a man best suited for lab work wasn't suddenly going to become an errand boy. Of course, the Goblin had controlled the entirety of crime in New York at one point more or less, so it would certainly be possible for some remaining loyalists to be available for such a task. That idea then presented another problem: the Goblin could've shared Peter's identity with others. Osborn, even before transforming into that monster, seemed like someone who believed that knowledge is power, and would certainly know how to best use that knowledge to inflict pain....

Peter suddenly felt M.J.'s hand clamp over his, once more bringing him out of his own head and back to the present. 

"The bottom line here is that everyone who can be on this IS on this," Peter said once he was fully there with them again. 

"Sounds like this guy's chances are still pretty slim," Betty said. "I mean, he still has to get out of prison. 

"We still have to take this seriously, Betty," M.J. spoke up. "He clearly had people in his pocket almost everywhere even when he was just a corrupt businessman. We need to be ready for anything." There was a venom to M.J.'s words that reminded Peter how much distaste she carried for Norman as well. After all, he was the one who tried to ruin her family's lives, and that wasn't something easily forgotten. 

"I'm sorry," Betty said, her embarrassed look clearly letting on that she knew she had spoken up about something she didn't fully understand. 

"Don't be," Peter said to her. "You're the newest of us in the fold. Look, I will keep you guys updated on anything more I find out about the situation, and if even looks the slightest bit like something is about to happen, I can have Happy assign extra security detail for each of you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to any of you guys." 

"We know Peter," Ned assured him. "You got this." Peter appreciated his best bud's faith in him. He just really hoped his and everyone else's was warranted. 

\---

Later, Peter showed up for work at the lab like usual. As he walked in, however, the doc wasn't out in the lab. There was someone in the office though, but he knew it wasn't the doc since they weren't wearing a lab coat. Dr. Connors NEVER took off his lab coat while actually at the lab, even if he was just in the office. Whoever was in there, though, looked like they were going through some things near the desk. His spider-sense wasn't alerting him to any threats, but Peter still approached the office in a cautious manner, moving silently. When he reached the office door, he still couldn't tell who it was, as they had their back turned to him and their head bent down as they looked over something. 

"Is there something I..." 

Before Peter could even finish his sentence, the intruder tossed the papers up and spun around, pulling out a taser. However, it only took a second of recognition for both of them to realize neither one wasn't a threat. 

"Mrs. Connors?" Peter said, seeing the "intruder" was none other than his boss's wife. 

"Oh Peter, sorry about that!" she said frantically, putting her taser away. "I didn't mean to scare you." 

"Nor I you," Peter said. "What are you doing here going through all this stuff for?" 

"I'm trying to find a clue about where Curt is," she replied. "You wouldn't have any idea, would you?"

"No," Peter said slowly, still a little confused by the situation. "Why?"

"Peter," Mrs. Connors responded, "Curt never came home last night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to continue to share this with you guys!! Hope you all are enjoying it so far!! 
> 
> My prayers continue to be with you all. Stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> "You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life." Lamentations 3:55-58


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm sorry, I'm sure you have a lot on your plate," Peter replied. "I just figured it was the man's best chance." 
> 
> "Do you know him personally?" Yuri asked, suspicion evident in her voice. 
> 
> "Maybe?" Peter said after a moment's hesitation. He was nervous as to where this conversation might be headed. "Why?" 
> 
> This time it was Yuri's turn to hesitate. "Can we meet?" she finally asked. "The usual place?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter searches for Connors, but only finds more questions and leaves his friends with concerns.

Peter landed on top of a building overlooking a large portion of Midtown. He had been scouring the city for any traces of Connors' whereabouts, wasting no time after getting what information he could out of the doc's wife. He encouraged her to go to the police station and specifically ask for Officer Watanabe if she could, saying he knew for sure that she would give the case the attention it needed. However, after hours of trying to dig up a trail that was already cold to begin with, he was beginning to get discouraged. 

As he pondered his options, the system in his mask alerted him to a call from Yuri. He tapped the side of his mask near his ear to answer. 

"What's up?"

"So, a woman came to me wanting to file a missing person's report on her husband," Yuri began. "She said that a 'mutual friend' of ours recommended me." 

"I'm sorry, I'm sure you have a lot on your plate," Peter replied. "I just figured it was the man's best chance." 

"Do you know him personally?" Yuri asked, suspicion evident in her voice. 

"Maybe?" Peter said after a moment's hesitation. He was nervous as to where this conversation might be headed. "Why?" 

This time it was Yuri's turn to hesitate. "Can we meet?" she finally asked. "The usual place?" 

"Sure," Peter said. Immediately after hanging up, he leapt from his position, diving into the New York night before firing off a web line. It took just a few minutes to arrive at his destination, finding her already waiting for him, holding a file in her hand. Perhaps she had something for him?

"What's going on?" he asked, wanting to get straight to the point. 

"I want a straight answer this time," Yuri began. Her voice was stern, but not angry. "Do you know Curtis Connors personally, yes or no?" 

Peter once again hesitated for a moment, but this time decided that the truth, or at least what of it he could share, was the best option here. 

"Yes," he answered, "he's an associate of my civilian identity." 

Yuri's eyes closed and she lightly shook her head in reaction to this. 

"What is it?" Peter asked, suddenly getting very anxious. 

"I have a feeling this missing person's case is related to what happened last night," Yuri replied. 

Peter pondered the idea; the fact of the matter was that he never even thought about Osborn being the one who kidnapped the doc. The letter did say he would take EVERYONE from him though, so he guessed it couldn't be ruled out, but still...

"What makes you say that?" Peter finally asked. "It doesn't make sense." 

"Call it a cop's intuition," Yuri said. She then stepped forward and handed him the envelope. "I've been looking into some of the recent crime in the city to look for any patterns that might indicate that a particular group is taking orders from someone higher up. Take a look at some of those pictures and tell me if you notice anything interesting."

Peter opened the folder and sifted through a few pictures until he came to one in particular that instantly caught his attention. It was close up of what looked like an insignia of some kind on the arm of a man caught stealing munitions. It wasn't just any insignia though: it appeared to a Goblin head, the design looking very similar to Osborn's mask. 

"It can't be..." Peter said, his eyes glued to the photo. 

"It sure looks like it anyway," Yuri said. "Over the last several months, we've put away several of those who were under Osborn's leadership, but some of them could've gone into hiding for the short term."

Peter looked up at her. "What are you thinking?" he asked nervously. 

"It's not uncommon for either individuals or a group to lay low for a time in the criminal underworld before reappearing," Yuri explained. "That looks to be what's happening now." 

"But the Goblin's incarcerated in a floating super max hundreds of miles away," Peter countered, until a thought hit him. "Unless you think our favorite master of disguise is somehow still working for him?" 

"It makes a lot of sense," Yuri said. "From the little I've been able to find out about him, the man they call the 'Chameleon' sells his unique services to the highest bidder. After Osborn was taken away, all of his assets were frozen, but he may have more that we don't know about. If the Chameleon still sees revenue coming in, it makes sense that he'd stay in order to keep it that way." 

Peter had to admit her idea was looking more and more likely. Fury had even told him that, at one point, the Chameleon was #1 on Interpol's most wanted list, and had even managed to allude the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. himself on more than one occasion. Bottom line, the man was as slippery as could be, able to seemingly make himself look like anyone at any time. 

"I can have Nick Fury look into any suspicious activity at the Raft," Peter said. "But what does all this have to do with Connors? The man's not working on anything that Osborn would be able to use, so what's the point?" 

"I don't know," Yuri said, "and admittedly, I have no concrete evidence to base that theory off of either. Something just tells me that these things are connected, but I'll do my best to keep looking for other possibilities as well."

"Okay," Peter said. "Please, let me know the minute you come across anything." 

"Of course," Yuri said. Peter handed her back the file, and she turned and headed back to the door on the roof that lead back down to the precinct. He however stayed on the roof, walking until he could lean on his hands against the edge. His thoughts were swirling, a state they had been in a lot over the last 24 hours. Could this all be connected? If so, there were a lot of other people that the Goblin would've surely picked over Connors if he wanted to hurt Peter, so what would the purpose be? If it wasn't connected...where was he? 

\---

Connors sat in the dark room, his head facing down and his one arm cuffed to a small table next to him. He hadn't been given much to eat or drink in the last day, only enough to keep him going. His kidnappers had made it clear what they needed from him, but he determined not to give in. 

Light suddenly entered the room as someone opened the door and strutted in. This was the same man he had seen ever since he first woke up in this strange place, but the guy had refused to give him a name. The doc braced himself internally for what might be in store in the next few moments. The man had already tried a variety of methods to "knock some sense into him" as he put it, but Connors had not yielded. 

"I have to admit," the man said in a deep tone, "you're a lot stronger than you look. I've seen men crack under lesser beatings than what I've given you so far." 

"What you're asking...you don't understand what it is you're asking me to do," Connors said, struggling to speak as his throat was exceedingly dry. 

"You're right," the man acknowledged, beginning to walk around where the doc was sitting, circling him slowly like a shark. "I don't know much about all this science stuff, like you do. I barely made it through high school. But, as I'm sure you're well aware by now, my employer needs what you can offer, and he instructed me to...persuade you to do it for him." 

The man then threw a punch against his own hand right in front of Connors' face, causing him to jump in his seat. 

"He didn't give me any limitations on what I could do to get it from you either." 

Connors steadied his expression, forcing himself to look up and stare the man in the eyes. "Go ahead," he muttered, "I will never give you what you want." 

His captor straightened up again, reaching back to pull what looked like his phone out of his back pocket. 

"That's too bad, Doctor," the man said as he tapped on his phone a few times. "Because you see, for as much as I've done to you...I'd really hate to have to do worse to them."

The man then turned his phone so that Connors could see the contents on the screen: a picture of his wife and son.

"Nice family you got here," the man said, looking to admire the picture himself for a moment. "It'd be a shame of something happened to them."

"No," Connors said, his mind scrambling and now on the defensive, "please, leave them out of this." 

"That's up to you, friend," the man said as he put his phone away. "It's either you or them. The choice is yours." 

Connors looked down, defeated. 

"So," the man said, bending down to lean closer to the doc again, "what's it going to be?" 

\---

The next day, Peter struggled to get through school. He had 3 tests that day, the most he would have all week, and each one was a struggle to even focus on. He could still hear Mrs. Connors crying during his phone call to her last night when he got home, saying that he hadn't found the doc but would keep looking. She made it clear she appreciated his efforts and that this wasn't something he should have to deal with, but all he could think about was the worry and fear in her voice. In a way, it reminded him of how May was after Ben's death: her whole world had been shaken to its core. Wherever Connors was, Peter was really hoping he wasn't too late. 

He could tell M.J. and Ned were worried about him, but he didn't know what to do. He was honest with them about the situation and his concerns though, feeling that was the least he owed them. Ned did his best to try and cheer him up and tell him that he was going to figure it out like he always did, but it wasn't helping that much. M.J, however, took the opposite approach: not hardly saying a word all day, just silently sticking close to him as often as she could, occasionally offering the squeeze of a hand or a gentle shoulder bump to shake him from his thoughts. Honestly, Peter appreciated his girlfriend's approach more. They hadn't even been dating a year yet, but in that short time they had come to understand one another very well, and it was clear she could see what he needed in this moment was just to know he wasn't alone. 

After the final bell rang, Peter walked down the hall with M.J. and Ned, intending to head out and try and track down more leads on Connors and, if he was lucky, the Goblin's plan. 

He was moving so briskly that only his spider-sense stopped him from almost bowling over Flash, who was coming from the hall to the left.

"Hey Parker," Flash said, but there was surprisingly little antagonism in his tone. "I was hoping to run into you actually. I..."

"I'm sorry Flash, but I can't talk right now," Peter said, moving past Flash and out the door. He hated to just brush off whatever the guy wanted to say, but he knew he wouldn't be able to focus on it until he took care of whatever was going on. 

\---

M.J. looked on as Peter walked out the door. 

"What's the deal with him?" Flash asked, turning to both her and Ned.

"He's got a lot on his plate right now," M.J. said, her deadpan expression masking her inner concern. She was really hoping a general explanation like that would be enough. 

"Oh," Flash said, his head hanging low suddenly. "I see." The guy then moved past M.J. and Ned, looking strangely dejected. 

"What do you think that was about?" Ned asked M.J. 

"Who knows," M.J. said almost dismissively. Flash wasn't exactly her favorite person, but she still felt a little bad at how Peter had brushed him off. She understood why he did, but it was so against Peter's nature to do something like that. 

There was a moment of silence before Ned spoke up again. 

"M.J, I'm worried about him," he said. "He's becoming...obsessed again." 

"He won't let it get there this time," M.J. said forcefully. 

"How do you know?"

M.J. turned so she fully faced Ned. "Because if he was, he wouldn't have come in to school today." 

"Today, sure, but what about tomorrow?" Ned countered. 

M.J. had to admit, Ned's concerns were valid. She remembered very clearly what things were like in the aftermath of the Goblin's attack on Times Square back in December. Something changed in Peter after that, his normally happy and carefree self replaced by a solitary, focused individual who couldn't stop hunting his foe. He basically deserted his whole life to achieve this goal, detaching himself from others. It only lasted a short time, but it was still painful. Thankfully, Peter had come around after Osborn's incarceration, promising her that he would not push his loved ones...push her away again. It was a promise that he had kept to this point as well, but seeing that same singular focus in Peter worried her. However, there was a big difference between last time and this time: she had previously been afraid to directly approach him, having felt guilt over distracting him from his duties as Spider-Man. Now, she wasn't going to just sit on the side lines while the guy she cared about tried to take on his enemy alone. Sure, she couldn't hope to hold her own in a fight against a super villain, but her and Peter were in many ways each other's strength, and she wasn't going to let him forget that.

"He won't get there Ned," she said with conviction. 

"Again, how do you know?" Ned asked. 

"Because I won't let him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! 
> 
> My prayers go out for each of you. Please, stay safe and healthy everyone! 
> 
> "Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way." Isaiah 35:3-4


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deciding he'd had enough of being alone, he set out for the Avengers facility. He didn't quite feel like going home yet, so that seemed like the next best thing. After several minutes of swinging and gliding, he ended up at the facility. He wondered his way through the building, eventually coming to the main room, where he found Bruce, who was working on whatever his latest project was. 
> 
> "Hey kid," the gentle giant of a man said, getting up from his seat. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight." 
> 
> "Neither did I," Peter admitted, removing his mask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter continues his hunt for Connors and for answers and has a heart to heart with a certain green Avenger.

As soon as he found an alley isolated and enough out of view, Peter quickly ducked into it, slipping into his Spider-Man outfit. He wasn't going to waste any time; Connors was still out there, and he was going to find him. It was bad enough that the man's wife and child were left behind at home to worry over him, but Peter himself had grown close to him as well. It was strange to think back to a time when he just wanted to work for Connors for all the advantages it could give him, the ways it could get him ahead in college and in a career. He had no desire to let another father figure into his life at that time, but yet, as time went on, the good doctor had become something of a confidante, even occasionally being willing to discuss the occasional Spider-Man matter with him, though Peter still largely tried to keep that to a minimum. 

It was still hard to think that his boss could more or less be in this situation right now because of him. There was still no concrete evidence that Osborn was behind this, but the thought had only burrowed itself deeper in his mind since his rendezvous with Yuri. He thought back to the distress he saw in Mrs. Connors, how distressed and troubled she was. After the Lizard incident, this was the last thing the Connors family needed. 

Peter scrambled up the wall and onto the roof, firing a web as he leapt out into the NYC sky. Connors was out there, somewhere, and he was going to find him. He still had limited information to work with, so he knew the odds were against him, but he had to try. He decided to start with what he remembered observing and reading in the file Yuri had shown him. Those pictures had been taken near an old steel factory in the Upper West Side, so he set off for that area first. 

A short time later, he arrived at the old, run down building. He found his trademark point of entry to such a place, a ventilation shaft, and climbed in. He crawled up, down, and every which way, peeping into every room that he could, but there was nothing. He finally exited the shaft into an office room, deciding to explore things more up close since the place appeared to be empty. Setting the system in his suit to scan for anything useful, he scoured every room in the building, leaving no proverbial stones unturned. Still, he found nothing: no fingerprints, no residue, no indicators of any secret rooms or stock piles of weapons or supplies, and most of all, no indication of a hostage. 

This spot being a dead end, Peter paused to reevaluate his options. Aside from what he had read in the file, he knew of some locations where some kind of illegal activity seemed to go down frequently, so he decided to investigate those locations. As he exited the building, he set his system to monitor the police system so that he'd be alerted to activities at any of these locations and could be the first one on the scene. It only took a few minutes to let him know of some kind of illegal dealings happening just a couple miles away, so Peter swung off in that direction. 

It only took him a matter of minutes to get there, discovering what looked like a weapons deal going down. Taking stock of the situation, he sprung into action. 

"Sorry guys," Peter said as he slammed into one them, pinning him to the ground, "but the military grade weapons buy one get one free deal ended last month." Moving swiftly, he took out one guy after the next in a flurry of webbing with some punches and kicks sprinkled in. However, he deliberately spared the one who looked to be in charge of the whole thing, walking towards him after handling the others. 

"I take it you're in charge of this whole thing," Peter said. "Therefore, you and I might need to have a conversation." 

"I got nothing to say, wall crawler," the man said, brandishing a large knife before charging at him. The guy thrust his weapon in Peter's direction, only for his arm (and whole body) to come to an abrupt halt as a gloved hand grabbed his wrist. Peter squeezed the man's wrist just enough to make him release his grip on the weapon. Occasionally, he had been got off guard by underestimating someone in the field, but this guy clearly didn't have any surprise abilities up his sleeves. 

"Seriously?" Peter asked, tossing the man's arm back down to his side. "How did you think that was going to end? Anyway, I need information, and I think you can give it to me." 

"This was just a small time deal," the man replied.

"Yeah, right," Peter said, slowly walking towards the man. "There's always seem evil lord or overseer of the criminal underworld, so why don't you just make this easier and tell me where the guy you answer to is?" 

"Seriously, I don't know what you're talking about," the man continued to insist. 

"Oh yeah?" Peter replied. The man said nothing in response, and for a moment there was complete silence. Then police sirens could be heard in the distance, so he decided to wrap the matter up, literally. He webbed the man he was talking with up in a cocoon of webbing before piling up the others and doing the same, leaving them as a neatly wrapped gift for the officers who would soon arrive on the scene. He watched from a rooftop nearby as they were taken away, thinking back to the encounter. There were no Goblin insignias like what he had seen in the photo the previous night, and he had no particular reason to believe that the man he talked with was lying. He swung off as he waited in anticipation of the next opportunity to obtain information. 

\---

Over the next several hours, Peter stopped several weapons and drug deals, armed robberies, runaway vehicles, and more. He even stormed a couple bases of operations that some of these guys gave him, dispatching them as well. Yet, for all his efforts, he learned absolutely nothing about the Goblin's plan or Connors's location. He tried a few times to put some added pressure on some of them, but quickly found it was not his style, despite the frustration that was growing within him. Discouraged, he stopped by one of his favorite hang out points in the city: the Chrysler Building. Peter couldn't deduce what it was about that particular spot, but for some reason it had been a place he ended up coming to when he just needed to get away and be alone with his thoughts. 

However, that didn't prove very good for him tonight. All he could think about was how much effort he had been putting in recently for such a little result. The Goblin, despite being locked up, clearly had a plan, with some emissaries still out in the city to carry it out for him. Dr. Connors was still out there as well, having been missing for about 2 days now, and Peter still had zero leads on him. He didn't even have any solid evidence that the two things were even connected, but he couldn't get rid of the deep feeling in his gut that they were. Yet, despite stopping possibly the most crime he ever had in an afternoon/evening, he felt as though he had accomplished nothing. 

In short, he felt completely and utterly helpless.

Deciding he'd had enough of being alone, he set out for the Avengers facility. He didn't quite feel like going home yet, so that seemed like the next best thing. After several minutes of swinging and gliding, he ended up at the facility. He wondered his way through the building, eventually coming to the main room, where he found Bruce, who was working on whatever his latest project was. 

"Hey kid," the gentle giant of a man said, getting up from his seat. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight." 

"Neither did I," Peter admitted, removing his mask. 

"I talked to Maria, she's assured me that they have 24/7 surveillance on the Goblin, if that's what you're..."

"That's not why I'm here," Peter said. 

Bruce tilted his head slightly in response. "What's going on?" 

"Dr. Connors was kidnapped recently," Peter explained. "I've been searching for him for the last couple days, but haven't had any luck." 

"I thought I heard something about that," Bruce said. It made sense; even if it wasn't the biggest news, most missing persons cases at least hit the airwaves briefly at least. "I'm sure you'll find him, or someone will." 

Peter didn't respond, not even making eye contact with Bruce. 

"What's on your mind, Peter?" Bruce asked. 

"I don't know Bruce," Peter replied, unsure of where to start as he stumbled over towards one of the room's couches and plopped down on it. "I just can't help but think the letter and Connors being kidnapped are connected somehow. I have no hard reason for it, but I just can't shake the feeling."

Bruce wondered over to a large seat across from Peter, likely made just for him.

"Sounds like this Goblin guy is in your head," Bruce said. "And trust me, as someone who literally had two different people in his head for years, I would have some idea about that." 

Peter let out a small huff of air through his nose in response, the closest thing he could muster to a chuckle. 

"Yeah, I'll bet," he replied.

"I also know that this is easier said than done, but you can't let him hang out there," Bruce added. "You beat him once, and he's still the one playing catch up." 

"That's what everyone keeps saying," Peter said, running his right hand through his hair. "It never seems to make me feel any better though." 

Bruce leaned forward, his hands folded together in front of him. "Then just talk to me," he said. "I think we both know I'm no therapist, but I've learned a thing or two about how to be a good listener over the years." 

Peter let out a sigh, thinking over how to express his thoughts. "I've faced a lot of bad guys already, and I'm only 17," he began. "Some of them have been easier, and others have done some messed up stuff, but the Goblin...he killed a friend of mine, and he came closer than almost anyone to killing the girl I care about, all while completely taking over the criminal underworld right underneath my nose. I was able to stop all of that eventually, but part of me has always been a bit more worried about what happens if he came back." 

"Makes sense," Bruce said, nodding. "Myself and a lot of the other Avengers could testify to feeling that way." 

"It's not just him taking them from me either," Peter added, "but...when I was trying to track him down, I basically cut off my inner circle. At one point, I didn't see or talk to my aunt in almost 2 days." 

"And I'm guessing that's something you want to avoid as well," Bruce deduced, phrasing it more as a statement than a question. 

Peter looked to his right in the direction of the window. "All I've wanted since I became Spider-Man was to protect the city, but when I was fighting Osborn...it was like I was giving away chunks of myself to do it. So no, I don't want to end up doing that again, but it's already starting to happen. I can tell they all notice; I can sense how worried they are. Yet, I worry that every second I spend selfishly with them, I waste in trying to stop the enemy." 

Peter watched as Bruce leaned back in his seat, his eyes looking away as he seemed to be processing what to say next. 

"That kind of balance is definitely not an easy thing to find," Bruce admitted. "and it's definitely someone at your age shouldn't have to deal with. When I first joined the Avengers, I was only there to stop the bad guys, nothing more. I had no interest in actually liking any of these guys, because in my experience, that never ended well." 

"From all the stories Tony used to tell, I'm guessing that didn't last long," Peter said. 

"It took longer than I was actually willing to admit, but in time, the Avengers became my family," Bruce replied, "and I realized that I needed them. During the years I was in hiding, I worked to help other people, but it was only with the team that I realized I couldn't fully help others if I didn't let others help me too."

Peter eyes shifted down as he pondered Bruce's words. "I know you're right," Peter conceded, "but knowing it and feeling it are two different things." 

"I know," Bruce said. 

Peter raised an eyebrow. "That you're right, or that it's hard?" 

"Both," Bruce replied with a smile. "Each of us has to figure out how to navigate something like that on our own though."

"Yeah," Peter said. He glanced up at the clock in the room, realizing it was probably a good time for him to head home. Really, under normal circumstances, he'd be just starting his patrol now after school, work and studying, but he digressed. 

"Well, I guess I should head home," Peter said, rising from his seat. "Thanks for the listening ear, and the advice." 

"No problem, kid," Bruce replied. "Anytime you need to talk, I'm always here." The man extended his hand to shake, which Peter accepted; it was good to be free to utilize his superhuman strength in a handshake and not worry about the consequences of it. He then exited the room, eventually making his way out of the facility and towards home. 

\---

After retrieving his backpack and clothes where he left them, Peter made his way home, climbing through his window. He quickly changed out of his suit and threw on his old clothes, planning to shower later. He walked down stairs, finding both May and M.J. talking in the kitchen. He had to admit, he wasn't too surprised for some reason to see his girlfriend had come over. 

"Glad you're home," May said. "M.J. said she had something she wanted to talk to you about, so why don't I give you two a minute?" Just like that, Peter watched as his aunt walked out of the kitchen and living room and down the hall towards her bedroom. He then turned back to M.J, who had a look of quiet determination on her face. He walked towards her, leaning his left arm and side on the counter once he was close enough. 

"What happened to wanting to keep our distance while we study?" Peter said, but his joke came out in a very half hearted manner. 

"Things changed," M.J. said bluntly. Peter looked down for a moment, his suspicions for her being there all but confirmed. 

"Well, let's get to it then," Peter said, figuring there was no point in wasting time. "You're here because of how I've been acting since I got that letter, and you're worried that what happened last time the Goblin was in our lives will repeat itself." 

"Am I wrong to think that?" M.J. said, her expression unswerving. 

Peter quietly and slowly shook his head. "On occasion, I can be self aware," he said. 

M.J.'s face softened at his words; she was probably worried that she'd have to be a bit tougher on him to get him to admit it. 

"I don't want it to happen again M.J," he continued, "I just...I don't know how to stop it." 

M.J. slid off the stool she was sitting on so she was standing right in front of him. "Just don't forget I can shoulder the burden with you. In case you haven't noticed, I can handle a lot." 

Peter smiled as he let a huff of air escape from his nose. He placed his hand behind the hair around her neck, pulling her in for soft kiss on the lips, then one to her forehead, before pulling her in for a hug. 

"I know," he finally replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are continuing to enjoy this! 
> 
> My prayers continue to go out for each one of you guys. Stay safe and healthy during this insane time. 
> 
> "But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you fear God?' he said..." Luke 23:39-43


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter sat quietly at his desk, studying for a final later in the week. He had already taken his world history final, so the period served as a glorified study hall, with his teacher occasionally having to tell the other students to keep it down. While he and M.J. weren't directly quizzing each other, sitting quietly next to her seemed to help ease his mind. He had been doing a little better since their talk last night, and he was trying his best to keep it that way. 
> 
> "Excuse me, Mr. Parker," came a voice. Peter looked up towards the doorway, recognizing the person as one of the school's front desk workers, though he didn't know the name. 
> 
> "There's someone here to see you; it's urgent," the woman continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: May and Happy talk, something happens, and a decision is made.

May sat at her desk, trying very hard to finish her final draft of the budget revisions needed for the Community Center. It was bad enough that she needed to finish her least favorite part of the job within the week, but that it had to be THIS week. The week one of her superhero nephew's greatest enemies decided that he wanted to insert himself back into their minds. The week that was already going to be stressful enough for him due to having a bunch of tests to study for and complete; the week that was Peter's last week in high school. May's mind kept coming back to how unfair it was for him; he was already a hard worker in school before the spider bite, but since then he had had to work ten times as hard to keep his grades up to what they had always been. He had made sure he knew the most expedient ways to school from all points in Manhattan just so he could get to school on time as much as was within his control. All that, plus a job, along with trying to be a good nephew, boyfriend and best friend. 

It just wasn't right. 

May finally took a moment to take her eyes off the computer screen, removing her glasses for a moment so she could bury her face in her hands. It hadn't been easy to come to terms with Peter being Spider-Man, but with time, she had come to be so incredibly proud of him. She supported him, and still did, but these particular circumstances were wearing down on her. Dealing with his injuries and the late night patrols were bad enough, but at least she knew he either was home or fighting to come home. This however, was different, a calm before the storm that she had never dealt with before. Ever since Peter had gotten that letter, he hadn't been the same. His body posture was constantly tense, like he was constantly trying to stay ready for anything. His eyes looked heavy, as the weight of the Goblin's return clearly burdened him. M.J. coming to visit for a while the night before seemed to have helped, as Peter seemed just a little more upbeat and assured than he had the last couple days, but it still wasn't quite the same. 

A couple knocks on her door shook her from her thoughts, her face quickly emerging from her hands to see who was at the door. 

"Hey May," came the voice of one Happy Hogan. "Sorry if I'm interrupting." 

"No, no not at all," May said, redirecting her mind to focus on the moment as best she could. "I thought we weren't meeting for lunch until 1:00?" 

"May, it is 1:00," Happy gently corrected. "Well, 1:02 to be exact; I was running a little late." 

May gave Happy a confused look, followed by a quick snapping of her head downward to look at her watch. 

"Oh my goodness Happy, I'm sorry," she said. "I lost track of time while working on this budget."

"Are you sure that's all it was?" Happy asked as he finally strode into the office until he came to the front of May's desk. She said nothing in response at first, her eyes glancing back down towards the computer. 

"I'm sorry," Happy said, causing her to look up towards him again. "I know we said we would take things slow, and I don't mean to pry. If you need to talk though, or just vent in general..."

"After food," May said, getting up from her office and promptly walking over to the coat racket, grabbing her jacket and throwing it on. 

In her experience, food made everything at least a little better. 

\---

About 10 minutes later, they arrived at their destination: a small Italian place that she had had to correct Happy's pronunciation on multiple times (being of Italian heritage helps) that offered some of the best pasta around. Thankfully, the line wasn't too terribly long, and they were able to get their seats quickly. 

"So, how are things with the...situation going on right now?" Happy asked, a little nervousness in his voice as they looked through the menu. 

"It's..." May tried to think of words to say that would try and put Happy's mind at least somewhat at ease (which would hopefully get him to not pry too much more), but nothing was really coming in that sense. Her frustration finally reaching a boiling point, she quickly set down her menu, rubbing her forehead with her hand. 

"It's terrible, Happy," she finally said. "Six months ago, that raging lunatic came into our lives and turned everything upside down, and now the same thing could be on the verge of happening." 

"I thought the Goblin was locked up still?" Happy asked. 

"Peter's checked into that, and he is," May confirmed. "But somehow, we still got a letter from him, and everything seems to point to him having a plan to come back somehow."

May started to say more, but then a waiter arrived to take their drinks. After that was finished, and the waiter was a good distance away, Happy spoke up first. 

"If you want, I can have a security detail added to you guys, and his friends too?" 

"I don't think we're quite there yet," she conceded. "It's just...I don't know, I'm just worried about Peter." 

The waiter then returned with their drinks. They agreed they still needed a little time, so the waiter said he'd be back. 

"Peter's tough, May," Happy said, probably trying to reassure her. "What makes this guy so different from Beck, Toomes or any of the other guys he's faced?" 

May sighed. "You remember the police captain that the Goblin killed in Times Square?" she asked, taking a sip of her drink. 

"Yeah," Happy said. 

"He was an ally of Peter's," May said. "I think he probably really looked up to the man too. From that point on, Peter couldn't stop hunting that psychopath. He turned his back on life just to take him down. He had never done that before...or since." 

"And you're afraid that if he get's out, the same thing will happen again?" Happy asked. 

"Yes, and this time that he won't walk away," May said, suddenly feeling a little under the weather. She let out a couple loud coughs. 

"Whoa May, are you alright?" Happy asked, clearly concerned. "That doesn't sound too good." 

"I'm fine," May said. "Probably just swallowed wrong or something." Within seconds of saying that, however, she knew it wasn't true. Her throat started feeling worse, and her head began throbbing, her brain feeling like someone was using it for a drum. 

"I think we should get you to a doctor or something," she heard Happy say, but she couldn't respond. Her coughs had stopped, replaced by a sudden gasping for air. She leaned and started to fall out of her seat, with Happy's quick bursting from his seat and grabbing her the only thing breaking her fall. 

The next several minutes were all a blur. She vaguely remembered the paramedics arriving on the scene and bringing her and Happy into the back of their emergency vehicle, and the next thing she knew, they had arrived at the hospital. 

"May, May stay with me alright?" she could hear Happy crying out as they wheeled her in. 

"H-Happy," she gasped weakly. 

"Don't try to talk May," he replied. "Save your strength."

"G-get....P-Peter," she forced out. "P-Please..." 

That was the last thing she remembered before she passed out. 

\---

Peter sat quietly at his desk, studying for a final later in the week. He had already taken his world history final, so the period served as a glorified study hall, with his teacher occasionally having to tell the other students to keep it down. While he and M.J. weren't directly quizzing each other, sitting quietly next to her seemed to help ease his mind. He had been doing a little better since their talk last night, and he was trying his best to keep it that way. 

"Excuse me, Mr. Parker," came a voice. Peter looked up towards the doorway, recognizing the person as one of the school's front desk workers, though he didn't know the name. 

"There's someone here to see you; it's urgent," the woman continued. 

Peter glanced toward M.J before packing up his stuff, since the period was almost over and this might hold him until the next one. He quickly followed the woman out of the room and to the front of the school, where he was very surprised to see none other than Happy Hogan. 

"Peter, you need to come with me, now," Happy said, quickly getting up and approaching him. 

"What, why?" Peter asked, a little taken aback but no less concerned at Happy's frantic look. 

"It's your Aunt, something's happened." 

\---

When they got to the hospital, Peter accidentally left Happy behind, not even thinking about the speed at which his legs were carrying him into the hospital. 

"Excuse me," he said, approaching one of the desk staff. "I'm here to see my aunt, May Parker." 

"Hold on one second," the lady replied, moving over to check something. Peter's foot rapidly moved up and down, his hand doing the same against the front area as the few seconds it took for her to look up where May was felt like an eternity. 

"Your aunt is currently being examined, so you'll have to wait until the doctor comes to talk to you guys." 

"Please, is there anything at all you can tell me now?" Peter asked, annoyance beginning to form in his voice against his will. 

"All I know is that she was seizing when she came in, but I haven't heard anything else," the lady replied. "I know this isn't easy dear, but we'll let you know as soon as we have something, alright?" 

"Alright," Peter said, though the situation certainly didn't feel alright. He slowly turned and walked away from the desk, finding Happy about 10 feet away. 

"They said they're working on her now," Peter said, the words almost feeling like they weren't coming from his own mouth. He felt detached from reality as it began to sink into his brain that this was REAL. 

"Hey," Happy said. Peter felt the man's hands on his shoulders, and his eyes were slowly drawn back towards the his face. "She's gonna make it. Come on, let's go sit down." 

Peter couldn't even nod, but he managed to shuffle his feet along before taking a seat next to Happy. 

As they waited, Peter couldn't even bother to try and preoccupy himself with anything, other than taking a moment to text M.J. and Ned to let them know what happened. Not long after school would've let out, the two of them were there, along with Betty. M.J. immediately wrapped him in a tight hug, followed by one from Ned. 

"Has there been any news?" Ned asked. 

Peter shook his head. "Nothing." It had been over an hour since he'd gotten there, what was taking them so long? 

It was still another hour before a doctor finally came out to meet them. Peter stood up before the doctor even made it to them, meeting him head on. 

"How's my aunt?" Peter asked. 

"Well, it didn't look good for a while," the doctor admitted, "but thankfully we've managed to drain her body of the toxin she ingested." 

"Toxin?" Peter questioned. "She...she was poisoned?" 

"It's hard to tell where it could've come from," the man said. "This kind of thing is surprisingly common, so we'll need to do a careful back trace in order to figure out where it came from." 

"O-okay," Peter stammered out. "C-Can I see her?" 

"I'm afraid not," the doctor answered. "She' still under anesthesia, and even when she does come out of it, she'll need her rest in order to recover." 

"Okay," Peter managed to reply. "Thank you doctor." 

"I'll let you know when she's awake," the doctor added. "Don't worry son; I know it was scary, but your aunt is going to make it." 

The doctor then turned and walked away, but Peter just stood there, frozen. He was certainly relieved that his last living family member was going to make it, but how had this happened in the first place? The doc had said that it was a surprisingly common thing, but with everything going on right now..." 

"Did you hear that, kid?" he could hear Happy saying behind him. He could feel the presence of the others as well. "She's going to be okay." 

"Yeah," Peter breathed out, slowing turning around to face them. 

"Peter," Ned spoke up, "we have nothing that specifically indicates that it was him." 

Peter was about to respond, when he felt his phone buzzing. On the off chance that it was an important message, he took out his phone from his back pocket, lighting up the screen to see who it was from. As it would turn out, the message was important. 

"Meet in the alley beside the hospital," the text read. "It concerns your aunt. F & H." 

"I'll be right back," he said, moving past his group and out the door. He found the aforementioned corner, finding Fury and Hill waiting for him. 

"Alright guys, what's going on?" Peter asked. 

"Hogan texted us while you guys were here," Fury said. "Given everything that's happened, we decided to look into this." 

"Did you find anything?" Peter asked, his body eager with anticipation at even the faintest hope that these efforts were going to end up leading to something. 

"We managed to trace the toxin to the water your aunt had to drink at the restaurant she was at," Hill replied. "We're trying to track down the server who got it to her, but whoever it is seems to have have been using a false identity. They've disappeared without a trace." 

Peter's heart sank. The Chameleon. It had to be. 

"We felt this gave us strong enough reason to contact Secretary Ross to see if he could issue a transfer to get Osborn out of there," Fury continued. "He's clearly communicating with somebody in there, somehow." 

"Did he agree to it?" Peter asked. 

"It took over a half an hour of persuading, but he finally came around," Hill said. 

"So...what happens now?" Peter asked. 

"Osborn is set to be transported out of there to a secure, private location tonight," Fury elaborated. "Once he's there, we'll get the answers from him, one way or another." 

"I want to be there during the transfer," Peter insisted. 

"I don't think that's a good idea," Fury replied. 

"Why?" Peter questioned, his suddenly very raised voice reflecting his anger. 

"You're too close to the situation," Hill said. "As much as we trust you, we won't risk anything. Think about your aunt, Peter. The best possible way for us to put a stop to this is if we keep all the wild cards out of it, and you're too close to the situation." 

"No," Peter insisted. 

"You have to trust us," Hill said. "I know this is hard for you, but that emotion is exactly what could play into Osborn's hands. Please, let us help you." 

Peter let out a deep sigh. "Okay," he said, "but if anything goes wrong, you let me know." 

"Things won't go wrong, Peter," Fury assured him. 

"You can't promise that," Peter replied.

"We'll update you one way or the other," Hill said. Peter nodded, and the two former S.H.I.E.L.D. leaders walked out of the alley, leaving Peter standing there. 

He tried to tell himself it was going to be okay, that they were finally going to cut the Goblin off from whoever he was in contact with, so this kind of thing couldn't happen again. 

So why did he have such a bad feeling about that transfer?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are building up! Hope you like it! 
> 
> As usual, my prayers continue to go out for each of you. Stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts, and day after day have sorrow in my heart?" Psalm 13:1-3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey," she said weakly, still managing her usual bright smile. Her strength truly knew no bounds. 
> 
> "Hey May," Peter said, walking up beside his aunt's hospital bed. "How are you feeling?" 
> 
> "Well, I'm still hungry for that Italian happy and I were supposed to eat, but otherwise I'm okay," May replied. "I'm more worried about you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Ned and M.J. try to help ease Peter's mind, Peter visits May, and an...unexpected update is given on the status of the transfer.

Peter paced back and forth in the waiting room, his mind refusing to settle down. He had tried his best to sit and stay calm, but his restless energy gradually manifested more and more. At first, it was just him tapping his foot and his hand against the floor and chair, then it became him squirming around in his seat, constantly adjusting his position, until finally he couldn't take it anymore. 

"Dude," Ned said, standing up next to Peter as he came by again. "They said May's going to be fine." 

"I know, and I believe them," Peter said. 

"I'm sure the transfer is going to go just fine," Ned tried to reassure him. "If anyone can pull it off, it would be Nick Fury." 

Normally, Peter's best bud's upbeat, shiny outlook on things would make him feel a lot better, but for some reason, he just couldn't find it in himself to share Ned's confidence. The more he thought about everything that had transpired over the last few days, the more anxious he became. The letter, the fiery note, Connors' disappearance and now May's being poisoned....none of it felt like coincidence anymore. 

Ned then walked back over to where he had been sitting with M.J. and Betty, and Peter's enhanced hearing accidentally picked up Ned suggesting that he and Betty go get refills on their coffee so they could give M.J. a moment with him. A moment later, Ned and Betty were walking out of the waiting room, leaving the other couple alone. Peter slowly turned back to M.J. 

"Nice to see my best friend still hasn't mastered how to be subtle around someone who can hear a whisper," Peter stated. 

"Something tells me that's never going to change," M.J. said dryly. 

There was a moment of silence, as Peter didn't seem sure where to start, and M.J. clearly didn't either. 

"Look, Peter, we both know I'm not the best when it comes to the whole giving advice thing or making someone more comfortable in these kinds of situations," she started, "but I am a good listener. You can at least tell me what's in your head, if it would help?" 

Peter walked back over to M.J, taking a seat next to her again. 

"It's just...everything that's happened over the last few days just feels like stepping stones to some sort of bigger plan, and I have absolutely zero idea of what the next step might be," Peter said. "I WANT to believe that Ned is right, that this whole transfer idea goes off without any issues, but something in me...something about this whole thing just feels wrong. Plus, even if it does work, how do we know he doesn't have some kind of contingency for that?" 

"We don't," M.J. affirmed. Peter would've thought her agreement with his line of thinking would make him feel worse, but it actually helped a little to know that at least someone validated his concerns, so he continued. 

"M.J," he said, shifting the angle at which he was sitting so his upper body was completely facing her, "I have worked so hard over this last year to find a balance between being Spider-Man and being Peter Parker, and for the first time, I was finally getting to a point where I felt I was truly achieving that. I was showing up to school on time, I had a job I loved, working with someone I admired, May was doing well, I had Ned, I had you...and now I feel as though all of that is on the brink of being taken away in an instant, and I don't know how to deal with it." 

M.J.'s eyes dropped to the floor for a moment, before she reached out her hand, gently placing it on Peter's. 

"I don't know what it's like to be you," she admitted. "I don't know what it's like to be someone who has to make life or death decisions every day, both for yourself as well as others. I don't know what it's like to constantly worry about enemies holding grudges against you, and having the lives of everyone you care about be in danger. I don't know how to relate to that feeling, Peter." 

Her expression then steeled up as she looked deeply into his eyes. 

"I only know that, as much as I can control it, I will be by your side through all of this. You were there for me when my mom lost her job and I was worried I might lose her. When things looked bad between Betty and I, you listened and helped me work through that. For most of my life, people have disappointed me, but you've always been there, when I really needed you." 

Peter smiled, shifting his hand upside down so he could wrap his fingers around her's as well. 

"That goes both ways, you know," he said. "Your mom lost her job at Oscorp because I was investigating Norman. You and Betty were having issues because of my secret. At any of those times and so many more, you could'e decided dating a superhero wasn't worth it and walked away, but you didn't. You talk all the time about how you're not good with these kinds of situations, or how you don't know the right words, but the truth is, even if what you said just now WASN'T exactly what I needed to hear, you've never needed words to help me out. You always seem to know what I need, and you're always there, however that looks, and I could not be more grateful." 

M.J. smiled widely at him, and she leaned in and the two of them embraced each other from their seats. 

"So, good news," Happy said as he reentered the room, causing Peter to role his eyes. "I just got of...oh, sorry, I just interrupted a moment, didn't I?" 

"It's fine, Happy," Peter said, he and M.J. separating and standing from their seats. "What've you got?" 

"Well, I just got off the phone with Fury, and they've arrived at the Raft," Happy announced. "We should know more here very soon." 

"Okay, great," Peter replied. He couldn't decide if that made him feel better or made his anxiety skyrocket now that whatever could happen was so close. He didn't get much time for processing however, as the doctor came back into the room to meet them. 

"How's her recovery coming?" Peter asked. 

"She's awake now," the doctor reported. "She's still tired and really weak, but she's doing very well, all things considered. She's asking for you specifically." 

"Oh okay," Peter said, turning to see that Ned and Betty had rejoined M.J. and Happy in the room. "I will report back to you guys how she's feeling."

"Alright, tell her we love her and we're glad she's doing better," Ned said. 

"Of course," Peter said before turning and following behind the doctor to the room. It was a short walk that still felt like an eternity as they made their way down a couple hallways, finally arriving in her room. 

"I'll give you a few minutes," the doctor said. "She still needs her rest." 

"Thank you," Peter said, turning to face May. 

"Hey," she said weakly, still managing her usual bright smile. Her strength truly knew no bounds. 

"Hey May," Peter said, walking up beside his aunt's hospital bed. "How are you feeling?" 

"Well, I'm still hungry for that Italian happy and I were supposed to eat, but otherwise I'm okay," May replied. "I'm more worried about you."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, pulling up a chair and taking a seat next to her. 

"When I first got here, all I could think about was you," she said. "I wanted Happy to bring you here so that I knew you were alright, so I knew Osborn hadn't made a move against you too." 

"I'm fine, May," he replied, gently taking his aunt's hand. "They're taking Osborn to somewhere more isolated, so hopefully he can't communicate with whoever he was giving his orders to." 

May swallowed before speaking again. 

"Then why do I still see such a lost look in your eyes, like part of your mind is somewhere else?" she asked. 

Peter's head dropped as he sighed. She really knew him too well. 

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" he said, letting out a very small laugh. 

"I raised you," she replied with as much of a smirk as she could muster. "So no, definitely not."

Peter smiled at his aunt, trying to take in every moment of this brief visit. 

"I'm just concerned," Peter replied. "After losing Ben and Tony...I don't know what I would've done if the doctors hadn't gotten to you in time." 

May grabbed at his hand. Her strength clearly wasn't all there, but Peter still could feel the strength in her body. It was not a strength of the physical, but the resolve of her spirit. 

"Do you remember when you first came to live with us?" May began. "You were a scared six year old boy whose world had just fallen apart, having been told his parents were never coming home again. Not long after that, you started having nightmares." 

Tears started to well up in his eyes; that had been 11 years of his lifetime ago, but he still remembered those dreams very vividly. 

"I used to dream about losing you and Ben," Peter admitted. 

"You used to come running into our bedroom almost every night," May continued. "We did different things to get you to go back to sleep every night, but there was something Ben always told you. Do you remember what it was?" 

There was no way he could ever forget. 

"He told me that we are never promised tomorrow, and neither are the people we care about. He said I couldn't live in fear of that though, that I needed to live in the moment each day, so that if something bad were to ever happen, we could live on in each other's hearts." 

"That's still true, Peter," she replied. Tears were starting to pour down her cheeks as well. "None of us are guaranteed anything, so I want you to remember that. Right now, we still have each other, and that's what matters. We can't know what tomorrow holds; we can only enjoy the time we have together." 

Peter gripped May's hand a little tighter, fighting back the even greater onslaught of tears that were threatening to cascade down his cheeks at any moment. 

"I know May," he replied, a sob escaping from his throat, "it's just really hard not to think about what could happen." 

"It never gets any easier either," May said, "and I can't imagine how much worse you have it than most people, but you have to keep fighting."

"I will," Peter said, basically giving up on holding back the tears at this point. "I love you May. I love you so much." 

"I love you too sweetheart," May replied, her own voice breaking. "I'm going to beat this, so we at least can know that." 

"Yeah," Peter said. He then leaned in to give May a hug, and he could feel her arms gently touching his sides. It wasn't her usual embrace, but it lacked none of the warmth and safety. 

"Oh, also before I forget, Ned, M.J. and the others say hello and that they want you to get better as soon as possible," Peter added as he slowly pulled away from his aunt. 

"Well, when you go back out there, tell them I appreciate that and it won't be long before I'm out of this place and back to normal," she replied. 

"Will do," Peter replied. 

"You really have a lot of great friends, Peter," May added. 

"Believe me," Peter replied, "nothing has made that more obvious than what's happening right now."

"Happy's not being too difficult, is he?" May asked, her expression shifting more in the direction of annoyed. "If he's causing you more stress than you already have..."

"May, he's fine," Peter replied, once again placing his hand on his aunt's to properly reassure her. "He's mainly been the one in contact with Fury and Hill since they left, so I think they've managed to keep him busy." 

"Good," May replied. 

"You know," Peter began, "and I can't believe I'm going to say this for the first time, but you seem to have a really good person in your life too." 

May smiled lightly. "I can't lie, these last few months have been...nice." 

"You seem happier when he's around, no pun intended," Peter replied. 

May gave him a side eye. "Peter, we both know that pun was completely intended." 

"Okay sure," Peter conceded, "but that doesn't mean it's not true." 

"We've been taking everything slow," May said, "but things are looking good." 

"Good," Peter replied. "I'm not sure I could handle church bells going off for you two just yet." 

"Oh, I don't think you have anything to worry about there," May assured him. "We're still a long way off from that." 

The two of them talked for just a little longer before the doctor came to remind Peter that May needed her rest and that it would probably be best if he returned to the waiting room. He gave May a gentle kiss on the forehead, telling her he'd be staying there until they were ready to discharge her. She tried to insist that he go home since it was a school night, but he wasn't having it, so she reluctantly conceded to his wishes. 

\---

After a few more hours, the doctor told Peter and the others that they'd be keeping her overnight, so they might as well go home. Peter insisted on staying, but told the others that they didn't have to stay. 

"We're not going anywhere," M.J. asserted. 

"Yeah, we can have a little hospital study session," Ned suggested. "I know it's not exactly the library, but it's quiet and should serve just as well, right?" 

Peter gave him a slightly skeptical look, but he could tell he wasn't going to convince any of them, so he agreed. All the others had brought their study materials, so it wasn't long before they were going through their notes for their remaining exams. They had been studying for a little over two hours when Peter noticed he was getting a phone call from an unknown number. 

"This is probably Fury," Peter said. "I better take this." It did register a little strange since Happy had been the one mainly getting the updates, but he figured Fury just wanted to give him the latest update in person. He moved quickly into the hallway before hitting answer. 

"Hello?" he said. 

"Greetings, Mr. Parker!" came the voice on the other end, but it was not Fury's voice. It was the last voice he ever wanted to hear again. 

"I have a question for you: can your friend Spider-Man come out to play?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to get insane after this chapter, so buckle up! 
> 
> Hope you guys are continuing to enjoy this! As always, my prayers go out for each of you. Stay safe and healthy during this difficult time. 
> 
> "For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it." 1 Timothy 6:6-10


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm sorry, you're going to do WHAT??" Happy asked incredulously. "Kid, that's suicide!" 
> 
> "I know how it sounds," Peter said. He had just explained what had happened to those with him at the hospital, as well as what he felt he had to do. Needless to say, he wasn't exactly getting the show of support he was hoping for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter heads out to the Raft with Sam and Bucky, and is not prepared for what he finds.

"You..."

"Let me guess, you were expecting to hear from Nick Fury, Agent Hill, or even Secretary Ross?" the Goblin asked teasingly, his voice laced with mockery and menace. "I have to admit, in theory, it was a well thought out plan. There was a tremendous amount of security there, and I'm sure it would've worked too...if I didn't have my man on the inside." 

"WHAT did you DO??" Peter asked vehemently. 

"If you really want to know, why don't you come out here and find out?" the Goblin replied. "I'm a patient man; I can wait. See you soon, Spider-Man." The Goblin then let out a loud cackle that sent shivers down Peter's spine as the line went dead. 

Peter backed up against a wall, his mind reeling just from hearing that monster's voice. His mind raced as he scrambled to form coherent thoughts, to put together some kind of plan of action, but all he could think about was a question: what if everything he'd been doing had played into the Goblin's hands all along? Everything that had happened over the last few days, the letter, the sign, May, all of it, had just been a gradually escalating series of events in order to get Osborn to be transferred. It had all played out exactly like he wanted. 

But he still had a chance. The Goblin had all but begged him to head over to the Raft just now. Sure, it was undoubtedly a trap, but Peter believed it might also be his best chance at putting a stop to this whole thing before it could really begin. 

Peter's look grew steely, his fists clenched tightly as his fear and shock gave way to resolve and determination. He had to stop the Goblin now....before any other lives were lost as a result. 

\---

"I'm sorry, you're going to do WHAT??" Happy asked incredulously. "Kid, that's suicide!" 

"I know how it sounds," Peter said. He had just explained what had happened to those with him at the hospital, as well as what he felt he had to do. Needless to say, he wasn't exactly getting the show of support he was hoping for. 

"I don't know much about this whole taking down the bad guys thing," Betty interjected, "but I would imagine rule #1 would be DON'T go where they want you to go, especially not alone." 

"I won't be going alone," Peter clarified. "I've already contacted Sam and Bucky, and they've agreed to come along." 

"Well, that sounds A LITTLE better," Happy acknowledged, "but still, Kid...how do you know you're not doing exactly what your opponent wants?" 

"I'm doing exactly what he wants." This was not news to Peter. "But what am I supposed to do, wait until he gets off of the Raft and makes it back to New York?"

"At least he'd be fighting on your terms instead of his," Ned reasoned. "You don't know the interior of the Raft like he undoubtedly does." 

"True, but Ned, there are a lot more people here than there are at the Raft," Peter explained. "If I can take an outrageous risk that ends up by some chance paying off, and thus saving a lot of lives right here, I have to try." 

There was a pause in the conversation. Peter searched the eyes and expressions of his friends, not finding too much reassuring. 

"Go," said M.J, finally speaking up since he first told them about what he was doing. She looked at him, and he could tell behind her focused, determined expression that everything in her wanted him NOT to do that. "Stop him," she continued, "don't let him get away with this." 

She then threw her arms around him, clutching him like her own life depended on it. Peter returned the motion, wrapping his arms around her and closing his eyes, soaking in the strength of her embrace. He had a feeling he was going to need every bit of that strength over the next several hours. 

"And please," she whispered, and Peter could tell she was fighting through tears to speak. "Don't die." 

"I'll do my best," he whispered back. M.J. had told him early in their relationship that she didn't want any promises about him coming back when he was about to enter a dangerous situation, since he couldn't ever know for sure, so that response was what he had come to settle for in the months since. 

He slowly pulled away from her embrace, finding himself staring into her eyes. Her look alone was almost enough to convince him that his plan was ridiculous, that he should stay behind, even if he knew that wasn't her intent. But he also knew he needed to keep her safe. He needed to keep them all safe, and the only way to do that was to put a stop to whatever the Green Goblin had planned for this city, and do it now. 

Peter moved past her, going to Happy first. "If you don't hear from me in 10 hours..."

"Don't talk like that," Happy interjected, but Peter pressed on. 

"I need you to make sure May and everyone here is safe," he said, gesturing to his circle of friends. "Whatever it takes. Can you do that?" 

"Yes," Happy said. By now, even he seemed to be fighting tears. "Absolutely." 

"Good," Peter replied. Next, he turned to Ned, the two of them performing their special handshake. 

"Give it to him good," Ned said as their handshake culminated into a hug. 

"Always," Peter replied. 

"Good luck," Betty offered gently. 

"Thanks," Peter said. He then turned back to M.J. one more time. "When May wakes up again, tell her what I had to do, and that I'll be fighting to come back to her, just like she did for me."

M.J. nodded a few times in rapid succession, then the next thing Peter knew, she had grabbed his cheeks and pulled him into a deep kiss, which he returned. For a few seconds, they just held it, as if they could will this whole thing away if they never separated. Unfortunately, the bitter reality otherwise hit as soon as they did. 

"I love you," she whispered as their foreheads leaned against one another. 

"I love you too," Peter replied, "and I'll be fighting to get back to you as well." 

Finally, Peter pulled away, turning and walking towards the exit. He hated to leave, especially with May still in recovery, but he really felt he had no other choice. If Osborn made it to the mainland, the lives of everyone he was just with were in danger, and likely the entire city along with them. He knew the odds were likely against him from the moment he would be setting foot on the Raft, but he didn't see any other option. 

As Obi-Wan Kenobi would say, it was time to "spring the trap." 

\---

"Ready, Kid?" Sam asked as Peter entered the room they were waiting in, dressed in his Spider-Man outfit sans mask, which he was holding in his hand. 

"Yep," Peter said. "Listen, I want to thank you guys for agreeing to come along with me. I know this situation is crazy, and we don't really have an idea of what we'll be walking into."

"That was basically me and Steve during half our missions back in the day," Bucky replied. "Can't be too much worse than some of the surprises we were met with." 

"You had our backs a couple months ago, Kid," Sam assured him, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Now it's our turn to return the favor." 

Peter nodded. They then grabbed what they needed and headed out to the quinjet. They had F.R.I.D.A.Y. handle the actual flying, giving the A.I. the coordinates they were heading to, as well as instructing it to cloak them once they were a certain distance away. 

"So, what can you tell us about what we're about to face from what you know of this lunatic?" Sam asked as the three of them gathered in the common area of the craft. 

"Well, he's exactly that, for starters," Peter said. "There really isn't anything he won't do, so we constantly have to be on our toes."

"Alright," Bucky said. "What else?" 

Peter thought about it for a moment. "He might be completely insane, but he's also very goal driven," he added. "He'd methodical, planning out every step towards those goals with precision, factoring in anything that might hinder him along the way. He quietly managed to take over the entirety of the New York underground right from under both mine and the police's noses. When we get there, he likely anticipates things once more going according to some plan he's made, so the sooner we can get an idea of what he has in store for us, the better." 

"Got it," Sam replied. "So basically, be completely ready for absolutely anything?" 

"Pretty much," Peter said, realizing as he said the words how few answers they provided. 

"Don't worry, Kid; like Barnes said earlier, it's not like this is our first rodeo," Sam assured him. "We'll be fine." 

Peter sucked in and let out a breath. "I really hope you're right."

\---

Finally, F.R.I.D.A.Y. gave them the notice that they were coming up on the Raft. 

"Thank you," Peter replied. "Once we jump off, we need you to keep the quinjet cloaked and stay nearby, so we can get out of there in a hurry if we need to."

"Yes boss," the A.I. responded. It still sounded strange to hear those words coming from it, knowing that they used to be reserved for his former mentor. Peter had worked in Tony's lab multiple times in the last several months, making various upgrades to his suit and web shooters, and had heard F.R.I.D.A.Y. call him "boss" several times, but the feeling never seemed to go away. 

The back area to the jet opened as the three of them prepared to jump off. They worked out that Peter would go first, joined shortly after by the other two, so he walked out onto the ramp, jumping off. After about 5 seconds, the parachute which was loaded into his suit, deployed, slowing his descent somewhat. The air currents from the ocean ripped along his body, but Peter kept his muscles taught and firm even as his arms wobbled in the wind. Finally, the Raft came into view as he emerged beneath the clouds at last. He had never been to the facility before, but had heard plenty of times how it was a large facility in the middle of nowhere meant to store the world's deadliest criminals. He knew many of his own foes had been sent there as well, such as Rhino and Sandman, since no ordinary facility would be able to hold either of them. 

All that to say, none of the stories had done the place justice, as the size of it was MASSIVE. 

Peter then released his parachute, deploying his web wings. Arcing his body so that the wind would push him just right, he shifted direction as he made his way directly to the facility. As soon as he came over top of it, he pulled his arms back to his sides, shutting down his web swings. He landed on the cold metal surface with a smooth somersault. Peter stood up, looking around. Shockingly, while there was definitely evidence of a bit of a struggle, the facility didn't actually look all that damaged...at least not on the outside. He walked around, keeping his super senses on high alert and anticipating his spider-sense in particular to go off at any moment. 

He heard a ripple in the wind, looking up to see that it was Sam and Bucky on their parachutes, descending down towards him, making their landing. 

"Doesn't look as bad as I expected on the outside," Sam said. 

"That probably just means it's even worse on the inside," Bucky remarked. 

"Let's go," Peter said, leading the way over to the nearest door. That is, where there once was a door, anyway; instead, they had a free path into the building. They three of them entered cautiously.

"Uh, kid," Bucky said, "not that I'm complaining, but why exactly didn't you want to enter through your favorite way again?" 

"Because he'll likely have thought of that," Peter answered. "Even if he didn't specifically think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if he laid traps up there out of paranoia. If we're headed into a trap, hopefully we can at least see it coming this way." 

The three of them ventured deeper into the facility, which was where the damage and destruction revealed itself. Clearly, they hadn't even gotten Normal anywhere close to outside before things went bad. They saw lights flickering in a room around the corner, so the three of them, with Peter in the lead, slowly moved around the corner and peered into the room. Inside, the whole place was a wreck, by far the most destruction they had witnessed in such a particular area. Computers and lights were sparking and shattered, there were holes in the walls, and nothing in general appeared to be working in the room anymore. As they entered, Peter noticed bodies around the corner of the main interface near the center of the room. He quickly moved towards them, discovering that it was Fury and Hill. 

"Fury?" Peter said, feeling the man's neck for a pulse. The man suddenly let out a cough, at least letting him know that he was alive. Hill soon stirred as well. 

"What happened here?" Peter asked. 

Fury coughed a couple more times before responding. "He had help." 

"Help?" Sam asked. "Like from one of the staff or the other inmates?" 

"Both," Hill suddenly interjected, groaning as she tried to get up. Bucky immediately went to her side, instructing her to take it easy. As he and Sam attended to the injured parties, Peter's eye caught something that appeared to be...moving along the ground. He got up and walked over, bending down to see what it was. 

Sand. 

No. 

This was much worse than he thought. 

Suddenly his spider-sense went haywire. Peter leapt out of the way as none other than Sandman came blasting his way into the room through a hole in the wall. 

"Come on, Spider-Man!" the man once known as Flint Marko taunted. "The reunion can't start until you're here!" Just as quickly as he entered, Sandman disappeared back through the wall in a trail of sand. 

"Sam, Bucky, get them out of here," Peter instructed. 

"What about you?" Sam said. "You can't go after him alone, and who knows what else is waiting for you out there!" 

"I know that," Peter replied, "but Fury and Hill can't stay here. Get them out of here and come back. I have a feeling the party will still be here when you get back." 

Ignoring any further protests, Peter fired two webs and pulled himself through the hold Sandman had come through, flying out into a hallway, seeing Sandman in solid form waiting for him. 

"Don't get slow on me now, kid!" Sandman taunted, before once again turning down the hallway. Peter took off after him, determined to keep his wits about him. He followed his foe into a large room, but found no trace of him once more. His spider-sense rang out again, and he spun away to dodge an incoming blade. He looked up to see another familiar face perched on a walkway higher up in the room. 

"Kraven?" Peter said. "You don't exactly seem like the type to hunt in a pack." 

"Why not?" the man asked in his thick Russian accent. "Hunting in packs is the most efficient method in all the animal kingdom. I figured it was time I adopt the same tactics." Kraven the leapt from the stairwell, throwing multiple knives Peter's way. Shifting quickly from side to side, Peter efficiently dodged each one of them. His opponent then landed, somersaulting before spring up to attack him with a knife he still had in his hand. 

"Nice landing!" Peter said, hoping that talking to the man would once again distract him. "Solid 9 out of 10!" It seemed to do nothing though as Kraven lunged with his usual efficiency, with Peter barely dodging his moves. He kept dodging, biding his time for just the right moment, finally seizing it when he grabbed his enemy's arm, punching the knife out from under his hand. He then flipped Kraven over him, tucking the man's arm behind him. 

"Where's the Goblin?" Peter asked. He didn't have time to get an answer though, as once more his spider-sense rang out, getting him to leap out of the way of one of Sandman's attacks. 

"You want your question answered?" Sandman shouted. "Follow us!" Kraven then got up and ran off with Sandman. Peter followed in pursuit, coming out into an open area again. At that point, Sandman and Kraven stopped, turning and facing him from a distance away. 

"What do I have to guess a password or something for you to..."

Spider-sense, again. It seemed to be stuck in permanent tingle mode. 

Peter turned to his side just in time to see none other than the Vulture come flying at him. Peter jumped on board, clutching the man by the straps of his suit in the front as the two of them rocketed into the sky. 

"Toomes?" Peter questioned. 

"Hey there, Pedro!" the man shouted. "Long time no see!" 

"You're working with the Goblin too?" Peter asked incredulously as they zig zagged through the sky. 

"Least I can do for the man who freed me," Toomes replied. 

"Funny, I would never have predicted you'd be one to work with a psychopath like him!" Peter replied. He them shifted up on top of Vulture, grabbing him the back of his helmet with one hand, pressing his weight into the wingsuit to get it to shift back to where they had come from. 

"Let go of me!" Toomes called out. 

"Relax Adrian," Peter said, "just making sure we make it back in time for the reunion." Toomes fought to get back up into the sky, but Peter spread out his legs to that each foot was on a wing, effectively steering the man back towards where they had come from. He then leapt off, but not before webbing the Vulture by the foot, pulling him taught and slinging him in the direction of Sandman and Kraven, causing the former to disassemble and the latter to leap out of the way. As he did, Peter fired webs while Kraven was in the midair, pinning him onto the ground. He looked over as Toomes and Sandman recovered their positions. 

"So, is anybody going to tell me where I can find the host of this whole thing?" Peter asked. Before he could get an answer, he felt a rumble in the ground beneath his feet, a familiar feeling that he knew cold only come from one person. Sure enough, he wasn't all that surprised to see the Rhino come bursting through a wall on his left side. 

"Oh, hey Aleksei," Peter said. "Sure, why not add one more to the list." 

"How about another then?" Rhino said. "I'm told you will really appreciate this guest." Rhino then turned towards where he had come from. "Come on out, scaly one!" he said. 

"Scaly one?" He couldn't mean...

But he did: a second later, a re-transformed Curt Connors came out of the same hole in the wall, snarling and roaring as the Lizard once more.

"Doc?" Peter said softly, his mind in shock at what he was seeing. How was this happening? 

"Kid, you alright?" Peter heard Sam call out from behind him as he and Bucky came onto the scene as well. He still wasn't registering it all though as he just stood there. His enemies could've attacked him and caught him off guard for once, and he wouldn't even know it. However, another familiar voice finally shook him out of his trance. 

"You have no idea how disappointed I am that I can't see your face right now," came the taunting voice of the Goblin, who was hovering down towards them on his glider. "As I was looking at putting together this little team, we Sinister Six here, I thought, 'who could I add to the roster that would cause the most pain,' and that's when it hit me...to return your latest mentor back to his primordial reptilian state. Doesn't he look great!?" 

The Goblin let out a loud, evil laugh, and it took everything in Peter not too lunge straight for the man's throat. Jumping around foolishly was what got Captain Stacy killed; he wasn't about to repeat the same mistake. 

"I have to admit, he was a bit difficult to...corral at first, but with this beauty right here, he falls in line wonderfully," the Goblin said. Peter took another look at Connors, this time observing that he appeared to have some kind of collar on his neck. Not only had Osborn re-transformed the good doctor, he was likely torturing him into submission, a realization that only served to make his blood boil further. 

"Oh, and I see you brought some allies of your own!" the Goblin observed. "Not quite the same numbers, but still a formidable group, to be sure. Let's see who's little team is better." The Goblin then motioned towards them, and suddenly the other five were running or flying towards them, along with the Goblin. 

"Spread out!" Peter yelled, and next thing he knew, they were all dodging different directions, and a fierce battle was being waged. Peter felt like he was constantly on the defensive at first, dodging incoming assaults left and right. Finally, he managed to strike a blow to Kraven, stunning him enough to web him and send him flying towards the Sandman, who had Bucky wrapped up and was about to pound him down. 

"Thanks for the assist!" the man shouted as the sand fell apart around him. 

"No problem," Peter mentioned as he dodged the Lizard, who had leapt out at him. 

"Doc, can you here me in there?" Peter questioned. The snarl in response answered that for him. "I'm sorry I let this happen, but I'm going to fix this, don't worry." 

"You won't fix anything!" came the voice of the Rhino, who came running out at him. Peter leapt out of the way, but then the Lizard grabbed him in midair, slamming him into the ground multiple times, finally releasing him, only for the Rhino to kick him, sending him flying across the path. Peter crumpled in heap, looking up. In addition to Rhino and the Lizard approaching him, he saw Bucky knocked out across the way by Sandman, and witnessed Sam come crashing hard back to the ground, his wing suit almost completely destroyed at the hands of the Goblin and the Vulture. 

Soon, all of his enemies came crowding around him. The Lizard tried to lunge for him again, but only found himself crying out in pain as several volts of electricity came pouring out of his collar through his neck. 

"Down boy," the Goblin said as he strode towards Peter off his glider. "Remember what we talked about: now is not the time." 

Peter looked up as the Goblin stood over him. His enemy bent down on his knees. 

"Don't worry, Spider-Man, I'm not going to kill you just yet," the man teased. "You haven't had everything taken from you yet. In other words, I haven't quite pushed out to your limits yet, and I still believe I haven't found what those are yet. But once you find yourself fighting like one who has seen his world fall apart, who has seen the city he has sworn to protect ripped from him, then, and only then, will I find true satisfaction in your death." 

The Goblin then rose. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I have a city to conquer...and this time, there is nothing you can do to stop me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! 
> 
> My prayers continue to go out for each of you. Stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> "In my distress I groan aloud..." Psalm 102:5, 16-17


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quinjet was not particularly suited to hold and treat so many injured passengers, but they made due with what they had as Peter instructed F.R.I.D.A.Y. to set course for the Avengers Facility downtown. Sam, Fury and Hill in particular could get better treatment there. 
> 
> "I can look after Sam," Bucky said once they got the man settled in the best area they could to limit his movement. "You probably should check in with Fury and Hill, see if you can learn anything from them." 
> 
> Peter hated to leave Sam alone, as his guilt complex was already beginning to rear itself within his head, but he knew Bucky was right. He needed to think about what their next steps would be now that both the Goblin and several other of his greatest enemies were free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter tries to figure out next steps, and the Goblin and the six return to New York.

After several moments, Peter finally forced himself on his feet. His midsection in particular was throbbing, but he had to get moving, if for no other reason, because the others needed his help. Bucky and Sam were both still lying in a heap on the ground, with the latter's plummet out of the sky looking particularly rough. For that reason, Peter made his way over to him first. 

"Sam?" Peter said, trying to shake him lightly. "Sam, can you hear me?" Nothing. Peter reached his pointer and middle fingers for the man's neck, feeling very relieved as he picked up a pulse as a result. Sam was alive, just unconscious. He then heard a groan, looking over to see Bucky slowly stirring, getting to his feet. Peter got up and moved as quickly as his sore body could. 

"You alright?" Peter asked, bending down next to the former Winter Soldier. 

"Other than feeling like I got smacked in the head with a bunch of concrete, I'm great," Bucky replied groggily as he slowly came to. 

"I don't know how bad Sam is injured, so it'd probably be best if we worked together to get him back to the quinjet," Peter suggested. Bucky looked over at Sam before nodding in agreement. They got up and moved over to the fallen Falcon, with Peter slowly moving the man's arms and legs in a position where he could at least secure them from moving too much with webbing. He then grabbed Sam from under his shoulders as Bucky grabbed his legs, and the two of them moved as quickly but carefully as they could back to the quinjet. As they were boarding, Peter caught a glimpse of a ship taking off, likely Goblin and the rest of the six. 

The quinjet was not particularly suited to hold and treat so many injured passengers, but they made due with what they had as Peter instructed F.R.I.D.A.Y. to set course for the Avengers Facility downtown. Sam, Fury and Hill in particular could get better treatment there. 

"I can look after Sam," Bucky said once they got the man settled in the best area they could to limit his movement. "You probably should check in with Fury and Hill, see if you can learn anything from them." 

Peter hated to leave Sam alone, as his guilt complex was already beginning to rear itself within his head, but he knew Bucky was right. He needed to think about what their next steps would be now that both the Goblin and several other of his greatest enemies were free. He gave Bucky a nod before turning and walking out of the area. However, there was something else he had to do first. He went to the center area and instructed F.R.I.D.A.Y. to put him through to Happy, since he wasn't exactly in a great area for cell phone reception. 

"Hello?" the man answered tentatively. 

"Happy, it's Peter," he affirmed. 

"Hold on," the man said. Peter could vaguely hear a bunch of feet shuffling along and what sounded like automatic doors opening before Happy spoke up again. 

"Sorry; your friends wanted to talk to you too, so we moved to an alley outside so I could put you on speaker," Happy explained. "So, how'd it go?" 

"Well," Peter began, letting out a sigh, "six of my enemies, including the Goblin, broke out of the Raft and are headed for New York. How would you describe that?"

"Uhh, not good," Happy conceded. 

"You hurt?" Ned asked. 

"I'm a little banged up, but I'm fine," Peter answered. "The others got it worse than me. Basically they beat us up enough where we couldn't stop them from leaving." 

"So, what's next?" Happy asked. 

"I need you to get them and May to a secure location," Peter said. 

"No," M.J. answered firmly. "We're not leaving you." 

"I know that," Peter said, "but for right now, I don't trust that Osborn won't be coming after you guys as soon as they get there, and I need to feel confident that you guys are safe."

"I'll take care of them, Peter," Happy said, trying to reassure him. "There are some old S.H.I.E.L.D. safe houses that I know should be good." 

"I don't trust that the Goblin didn't steal that kind of information before escaping," Peter said. "It needs to be somewhere remote, but in a place where I can still get in touch with you guys to keep you updated." 

"Peter," M.J. spoke up. Even by just saying his name, he could hear the fear and desperation in her voice. 

"M.J, please," Peter begged. "You have to trust me on this. I will get in touch with you guys again as soon as I can, but for right now, I need you guys to be safe." 

There was a pause on the line. 

"Okay," she finally responded. "But if I don't hear from you in the next day, I'm coming to find you."

Peter smiled at his girlfriend's stubborn resilience. "I'll be in touch before that happens."

"Don't worry Peter," Happy said again. "I'll look after them all, you have my word." 

"Alright," Peter said. "I'll talk to you guys soon. Take care of each other." 

"We will," Ned said. Peter then instructed F.R.I.D.A.Y. to end the call. As soon as she did, Peter hung his still masked face down, letting out a deep breath he didn't even realize he was holding. He felt as though he had been on the verge of a breakdown throughout the conversation, but he knew he needed to be strong for them. He regathered himself; the next step was to talk to Fury or Hill and gather whatever information from them about what happened that he could. Peter set out from the room he was in, eventually finding Fury and Hill together in a small room; the latter was out, but the former was awake. 

"Even with that mask on, I can tell things didn't go so well," Fury remarked in an almost matter of fact manner. Peter hung his head before removing his mask. 

"Osborn has aligned himself with five more of my enemies," Peter said. "Sam's hurt pretty bad; Bucky and I are a little banged up, but we'll be fine. How are you two holding up?" 

"Oh, nothing I haven't been through a few times before," Fury remarked, as if this latest incident was no big deal. Peter knew he shouldn't be surprised; being the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. for years was always likely to be a dangerous job, to say the least. 

Peter approached Fury a little more. "What happened?" he asked. 

Fury hung his head for a moment. "Everything started out pretty routine," he began. "That nutcase was secured tightly so that even with his enhanced strength, he couldn't even move his arms or legs. Then that sand dude showed up out of nowhere and caught us off guard, soon to be followed by your Russian buddies. We hadn't even made it out of the building before we were completely decimated."

"How'd they get out in the first place?" Peter asked. 

"No idea," Fury replied. "There were no alarms or anything that let us know someone got out. We need to check and see if we can find any video footage of this thing." The man then tried to stand up, slowly getting to his feet. 

"Mr. Fury, I really don't think..." 

A glare from the man stopped him before he could finish. 

"Do you at least...want some help?" Peter asked meekly. This time Fury didn't even look at him, but it seemed pretty clear what the answer was. Peter still stayed alongside the man as best he could, just in case he toppled over. They made it to the center of the Quinjet, where Fury asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to access the Raft's security footage. It took a little time, but eventually the A.I. was able to bring it up. 

"Scan for anyone near the cells of Aleksei Sytsevich or Flint Marko," Peter instructed. 

"Of course," the A.I. responded. After a moment, Peter found none other than Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross near the cell of the Rhino. 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, can you enhance the audio?" Peter asked. 

"Certainly Peter," it responded. Upon the A.I. doing so, a conversation in Russian was heard, basically confirming Peter's suspicions. 

"Chameleon," he said. 

"I should've known," Fury said. "I've had several run ins with him over the years. Even when I had all of S.H.I.E.L.D. at my disposal, he was still difficult to track, but this...this is bigger than any stunt he's ever pulled before." 

"Osborn must've still been getting money to him somehow this whole time," Peter remarked. 

"We'll get him, but right now, Osborn and his crew have to be our priority," Fury said. Peter had to agree, though he knew they were going to have to make the Chameleon a priority at some point. Clearly, the man was far too dangerous to run around free if he could infiltrate the highest level of government like that. The real Secretary Ross was likely dead as well, if the master of disguise's history was anything to go by. 

"What are your thoughts, Parker?" Fury asked, shaking him from his thoughts. 

"The Goblin prides himself on control," Peter said. "He said before he left that he intended to take over the city. If I had to guess, I'd say he'll try and reunite all of the New York underworld under his rule once again. Having the other villains with him will only help make that easier than before, they could basically be his enforcers. There's one thing I know for sure though." 

"What's that?" Fury asked. 

Peter turned, looking the man directly in his eye. 

"We need to be ready for anything." 

\---

"Ah, the city," the Goblin said happily, his arms held up towards the sky. "It's good to be back." 

He then turned to the rest of the Six. 

"You know what to do," he said. "Go to the location we discussed and wait for me."

"Why can't we just get started already," Sandman protested. "No one can stop us!" 

"Oh, Sandman," the Goblin said with a devious smile. "Where's your sense of drama? Let this city enjoy itself a little longer. When we finally strike...the whole world will know it." 

This answer seemed to pacify Sandman enough, so he turned and lead the way, with most of the others following behind. Toomes, however, stopped after only a few steps. 

"Something on your mind, Vulture?" the Goblin inquired. 

The man slowly turned around to face him. His wings were stored safely on the ship they arrived in, but the Goblin still enjoyed the use of the namesake. 

"I've done everything you've asked so far," Vulture said. "Let me see her." 

"You'll see her when I say you will," the Goblin growled back. He was not about to let one of his own get soft on him now. 

"I need to see proof of life, at least," the Vulture replied. The man's body language appeared straight, like he actually believed he could strong arm him into anything. 

The Goblin strode over to the man. 

"And if I don't?" he said. 

Though his face was still stern and hard, his light swallow didn't escape the Goblin's notice. 

"Then you get nothing else from me." 

Without hesitation, the Goblin seized Toomes by the throat, slamming him into the ground. 

"Or, how about this: you will NEVER see you daughter again, but you will at least know that she is alive as long as you continue following my orders," he spat, deliberately pouring as much cruelty into his words as possible. "But, if you dare challenge the man who got you your freedom, I will make you watch as I kill her slowly; I will drag her death out over several days, then once you've had time to wallow in your grief, I will finally put you out of your misery! So, what's it going to be?" 

The man gasped desperately for air, but managed to nod. 

"Good," the Goblin replied, releasing his grip on the man's throat. "Now, go join the others. I have someone else I need to visit before we proceed." 

The Goblin then tapped a button on the wrist of his costume, summoning his glider off the ship. Hopping on board, he soared through the city, eventually finding his destination: an old lab in the Upper West Side. Not bothering with using conventional means of entry, he flew straight through the first window he saw, startling the loan occupant of the building. 

"Hello once more, my dear Dr. Warren!" the Goblin called out. 

"You..." the man looked almost petrified at the sight before him. " I...I thought our deal was complete?" 

"It is," the Goblin said. He hopped off his glider, walking towards the man, who was frozen in his place. The Goblin put his arm around the man's shoulders. 

"I'm here to talk about a new arrangement."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked it! 
> 
> Praying for you all! Please, stay safe and healthy out there. 
> 
> "Have no fear of sudden disaster, or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked..." Proverbs 3:25-26


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well, whatever they're called, are you sure that they aren't all he feels like he needs?" Yuri asked. 
> 
> "No," Peter admitted. "Just going off of what we know of him, he seems to want to control everything. It just makes sense that he'd try to reestablish control over the underworld."
> 
> "Perhaps," Yuri conceded. "The photos I have would certainly seem to indicate that, but it could also be something just to throw us off." 
> 
> Peter had no real answer to that. For the last few days, he'd constantly felt at least ten steps behind the Goblin at all times, seemingly playing right into his hand with his every move. Maybe Osborn really had switched tactics, deciding that "normal" criminals were not enough and he needed to utilize his fellow super villains. There seemed to be no predicting the man anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter and others are attended to, he makes a couple phone calls (including a particularly difficult one), and the Sinister Six plan their next move.

As they approached stateside, Peter remembered there was one other person he needed to contact about all this. He slipped his mask back on, tapping the side to call Yuri. 

"What's going on now?" she asked. 

"Nothing good, that's for sure," he answered. He went on to explain about the breakout, and how everything had seemingly fallen into place exactly how the Goblin had hoped it would. 

"Okay, you definitely undersold that," Yuri said, her voice sounding a little more nervous than usual. "So, the Goblin plus five more of your enemies are out and headed to the city?"

"They're probably already there," Peter said. "He said he was going to take over the city...again." 

"Well, the good news is that, while some of the guys we locked up after his last attempt got out, many are still right where we left them," Yuri said. "So that's in our favor at least." 

"For now," Peter said. "There isn't much he can't do with between himself and the rest of the sinister six." 

"The Sinister Six?" Yuri questioned. 

"It's his name, not mine," Peter defended, a little embarrassed that he actually seemed to have embraced Osborn's name for them. 

"Well, whatever they're called, are you sure that they aren't all he feels like he needs?" Yuri asked. 

"No," Peter admitted. "Just going off of what we know of him, he seems to want to control everything. It just makes sense that he'd try to reestablish control over the underworld."

"Perhaps," Yuri conceded. "The photos I have would certainly seem to indicate that, but it could also be something just to throw us off." 

Peter had no real answer to that. For the last few days, he'd constantly felt at least ten steps behind the Goblin at all times, seemingly playing right into his hand with his every move. Maybe Osborn really had switched tactics, deciding that "normal" criminals were not enough and he needed to utilize his fellow super villains. There seemed to be no predicting the man anymore. 

"I guess we just have to be prepared for any possibility until we know more," Peter said, echoing what he had said to Fury earlier. 

"Agreed," Yuri replied. "I'll do what I can, but I still don't have much pull as just a sergeant, so I don't really know what I can do in terms of extra security or something like that." 

"Okay," Peter said, letting out a sigh. "I'll be in touch." 

"I'll do the same," she replied, then the line went dead. 

\---

A few minutes later, the quinjet finally touched down at the Avengers facility. Peter and Bucky helped get the more injured parties out, passing them along to Dr. Cho and the rest of the medical staff. Everyone was checked out; Peter and Bucky came away with the least of it, likely due to their enhancements, though they were still bruised and beaten. Cho then came into the room where they were being looked at. 

"How are the others?" Peter asked eagerly, concern written all over his face. 

"Well, they're all pretty lucky, given what you told us," Cho began. "Sam has a broken arm, probably the one he landed on. His shoulder is fractured as well, and he has a concussion. Fury and Hill aren't too much better either." 

Peter looked away towards the ground, running his hand through his hair in exasperation. He should've been there; he shouldn't have let them sideline him like that. His spider-sense could've warned him about what lied in store for them, it could've...

"Hey," Dr. Cho said, reaching out and touching Peter's arm, drawing his focus back to the present. "Like I said, they were lucky. You guys getting them here probably saved Fury and Hill's lives especially." 

"Thank you doctor," Bucky said, speaking up for both of them. As Dr. Cho exited the room, the former winter soldier then turned to Peter. 

"Hey man," he said, "none of this is your fault." 

"Yeah," Peter said dismissively. "Except if I had been there, there's a decent chance this wouldn't have happened in the first place." 

Bucky let out a huff. Peter looked over and saw he was smiling. 

"What?" he asked, confused about how the man could be smiling under such circumstances. 

"I know everybody keeps comparing you to Iron Man because of all...this," he said, gesturing towards Peter's suit, "but there are times when you remind me so much of Steve. That is exactly something he would say in these circumstances, even back when he was just the tiny little Brooklyn kid I had to keep from getting beat up every day." 

He didn't smile, but Peter at least allowed his face to form a more even expression. 

"Thanks, I think," he replied.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told him time and again," Bucky continued. "It's not your fault. Bad things are going to continue to happen whether you are there trying your best or not. Those guys just destroyed us like we were nothing to them; whose to say the same would've happened even if we were better prepared?"

Peter looked to the floor again. "You're probably right," he conceded. "But I still let others go and fight my battles for me. Rhino, Sandman, the Liz..." He couldn't even finish that last name without a whole new wave of guilt washing over him. He had allowed Connors to be once more transformed into the monster that nearly ruined his life. He had to fix this, somehow, but right now, he felt he owed it to the doc's wife to explain what had happened. 

"I need to make a call," Peter said, excusing himself from the room. He found a quiet area and pulled out his cell phone, but he hesitated when he came across the number. He knew what he HAD to say, but he had absolutely zero idea HOW he was going to say it. He finally hit call, trusting the words would come to him. 

"Hello?" 

"Mrs. Connors," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "It's Peter." 

"Oh thank goodness," she said, "please tell me you have an update on Curt?" 

Peter hesitated, trying to begin a sentence but failing twice. She was so expectant, so confident. 

"Yes," he finally said, "but it's not good." 

"Why, what's happened?" she asked. "Is he alive?" 

"Yes," Peter said. "But he's....he's not himself."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice sounding more nervous with each word. 

"Mrs. Connors...he's the Lizard again." 

He heard multiple sobs over the line before she finally spoke again. 

"Why?" she said. "Why would he do this again?"

"I don't believe he did, at least not willingly," Peter said. "He's part of a group of super villains the Green Goblin has put together in order to bring the city back under his control." 

"Oh no," the woman said. "No no no..." Peter could hear her weeping bitterly on the other end. He tried to force something encouraging, some promise that he was going to make things better, but nothing would come. He pressed a couple of his fingers against his eyes to stop himself from becoming a complete mess, but it was a losing battle. 

"I'm so...so sorry," he finally managed to choke out, "but I promise, I'm going to do everything I can to bring your husband back to you. I won't stop until I have." 

The woman finally composed herself somewhat. "I know you will," she said. There was no anger, no malice or resentment in her words. Honestly, it might've been easier if she was mad at him; it's what Peter felt he deserved. Instead, somehow, her compassion, evidence of the kind woman she was, only served to drive the knife that was his guilt in further. This wasn't someone that all of this happened to deservedly. 

"Look, I don't know what's going to happen with the city here soon," he said. "Look after your son, and I'll update you when I can." 

"Okay," she said. "Thank you for telling me, Peter, and good luck." 

\---

Adrian stood by himself over in a corner, preferring to keep his distance from his new "colleagues." He could still hear them though, each one talking trash to the other about who was going to do what the next time they encountered Spider-Man. The truth was, he wanted nothing to do with any of this. He still didn't especially like Peter, but the kid had saved his daughter's life, then his as well when his suit malfunctioned. The boy could've just left him there; Adrian had given him no reason to risk his neck for him, but he still did anyway. At the least, he respected that. 

He hadn't known much about the Goblin when he first arrived at the Raft, other than that he was formerly industrialist Norman Osborn, supposedly now insane. Even so, when the man posing as the Secretary of State came to him with a proposition on behalf of the Goblin, it almost sounded enticing at first. He had learned only a month prior to that that his wife had passed due to complications from breast cancer, so Liz was all he had left. However, his distrust for the big bosses remained, plus too much was unknown about Osborn's current mental state, so he refused. 

Unfortunately, the "Secretary" had come back, this time saying that he had Liz, and if he didn't comply, she would be killed. At first, Adrian only agreed in principle, thinking it would be easy to spring free at any moment and find her, if he could just learn the location. However, he soon realized that what he was dealing with was far beyond his depth. So he decided he would wait, bide his time, keep his head down, and follow orders in the short term, hoping an opportunity would show itself eventually. 

Sadly, after his most recent talk with the Goblin, that was looking much, much less likely. 

Adrian looked up just in time to see Rhino accidentally swing his fist back into Sandman, shattering the man's upper body momentarily before reconstituting himself. 

"Hey!" the man shouted. "Watch your swinging those things!" 

"Maybe you should watch yourself!" the Russian spat back angrily, turning to face his accuser. 

"You can't do anything to me," Sandman replied smugly. "I literally can't be hurt." 

"We'll see about that," Rhino challenged, stomping his back foot on the ground multiple times, like a real rhino getting ready to charge. 

"Gentlemen!" a voice called out from above them. Adrian looked up to see the Goblin descending down from an entry point in the ceiling. "Let's not fight among ourselves. Believe me, there will be plenty to go around once this city is ours." 

"Finally," Kraven replied. "I presume you are here to tell us where to find Spider-Man?" 

"On the contrary," the Goblin replied, "we are going to lure him to us." 

"How?" Rhino asked. 

"It's quite simple really, even for you," the Goblin jested, "we simply cause some chaos and destruction; threaten some innocent lives. It then won't be long before our favorite wall crawler comes calling." 

"Where do we hit?" Sandman replied. "A jewelry store? A bank?" 

"Oh, my dear Sandman, you think so small," the Goblin answered. "No, when you want to get Spider-Man's full attention, you hit somewhere big, somewhere crowded, like, oh say..." 

A wicked grin spread across the Goblin's face. 

"Times Square." 

"Oh yes," the Rhino said, smashing his fists together. "Lots of destruction to cause there." 

"Precisely," the Goblin answered. "Now, let's get ready to move out!" 

As the others got ready, Adrian reluctantly went over to get his wing suit, but was stopped by the Goblin. 

"Oh Adrian, would you be so kind as to get our Lizard friend out of his cage?" he asked, a nasty smile still on his face. The lunatic ALWAYS seemed to be smiling about something. Adrian made sure not to hesitate too long though; he walked over the the containment unit that the Goblin had brought along for the Lizard, the creature snarling at him as he came near. He opened it, and the beast leapt out of the cage, snarling wildly before his collar did it's thing again. 

"Down boy," the Goblin said from the comfort of his glider, keeping his distance from the creature. It soon fell into place, if reluctantly so. 

"Ah, much better," the Goblin said as the Lizard stalked on over towards the others. "Now suit up," he said, turning back to Adrian. "We have a city to take over!" 

Adrian slowly made his way over, stepping up to where his wing suit was being kept. He methodically put it on, each strap feeling as if it were a chain being placed over him, a chain keeping him from ever seeing his daughter again. At least she would be safe, assuming the Goblin was trustworthy enough to keep his word, which was dubious, since his sanity seemed further and further off each time they interacted. 

Firing up the suit, Adrian slowly rose from the ground, before taking off through a window, following the Goblin toward their destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all are continuing to enjoy it! 
> 
> Continuing to pray for you guys. Stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> "Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way." Isaiah 35:3-4


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are you sure you're up for another round so soon?" he questioned. "Dr. Cho said you would need at least a little time to fully recover."
> 
> "She said the same about you, yet here you are about swing into action again," Bucky said. 
> 
> Peter sighed. It was not lost on him that the Goblin and the rest of the Six attacking Times Square was in all likelihood intentional. The first time the two of them fought there was the day everything changed, the day that Osborn would forever hold a place in Peter's psyche. Captain Stacy's death was his greatest failure, and he really didn't want to risk that scenario playing itself out again. However, he also knew that, even if he just left Bucky there, the man would surely just follow him into battle anyway. The man was nothing if not loyal. It was no wonder he and Captain America had gotten along so well even before Steve had taken on the mantle. 
> 
> "Alright," Peter conceded. "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter and Bucky go for round 2 against the Sinister Six.

Peter had just finished restocking his webbing in the lab area of the compound when he heard Yuri calling him. Slipping his mask back on, he quickly tapped the right side near his ear. 

"Hey Yuri, what do you have for..." 

"Spider-Man!" she shouted, her voice carrying an urgency he rarely heard before. "The Goblin and his accomplices are attacking Times Square! Me and several others are trying to contain them, but we're desperately outgunned. We need you." 

"Understood," Peter said, doing one last double check to make sure his webbing was fully good to go. He had a feeling he was going to need it. "I'll be there as fast as I can." The line then went dead, and he immediately turned to head out of the lab, where Bucky was there to greet him. 

"Woah, hold up kid," the former Winter Soldier said as he came alongside Peter, who was moving just short of a sprint. "Where's the fire?" 

"Times Square," Peter answered without slowing down. "Apparently it was the Six's next target." 

"Well I'm coming too," the man insisted. 

This finally caused Peter to stop. 

"Are you sure you're up for another round so soon?" he questioned. "Dr. Cho said you would need at least a little time to fully recover."

"She said the same about you, yet here you are about swing into action again," Bucky said. 

Peter sighed. It was not lost on him that the Goblin and the rest of the Six attacking Times Square was in all likelihood intentional. The first time the two of them fought there was the day everything changed, the day that Osborn would forever hold a place in Peter's psyche. Captain Stacy's death was his greatest failure, and he really didn't want to risk that scenario playing itself out again. However, he also knew that, even if he just left Bucky there, the man would surely just follow him into battle anyway. The man was nothing if not loyal. It was no wonder he and Captain America had gotten along so well even before Steve had taken on the mantle. 

"Alright," Peter conceded. "Let's go." 

The two of them then dashed off towards the exit. They quickly boarded the Quinjet once more, instructing F.R.I.D.A.Y. to cloak as soon as they were in the air, which the A.I. did. 

"So, you know these guys better than me," Bucky said, immediately trying to take advantage of the very short flight ahead of them to strategize. "Any thoughts on how to make sure we actually stand a chance this time?" 

"Not really," Peter admitted. The truth was, the Goblin and his team had wiped the floor with them when they had Sam out there as well, so he didn't see how they were going to fare any better this go round. He just knew they had to try. 

"Well, that's comforting," Bucky said as he cocked his gun. "We'll find a way though. We always do." 

"I really hope you're right," Peter said, turning his head to look out the window. 

"Peter," the man said, causing Peter to turn his attention back to him. "This isn't going to be like your last visit to the Square, alright?" 

"You can't promise that," Peter said. 

Bucky looked down for a moment, but quickly met Peter's eyes again. 

"You're right," he said, setting down his weapon and walking over to Peter, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But we can't allow ourselves to worry about each other to the point where it cripples us."

Peter gave him a curious look. "How did you and Steve handle that when you served in the Army together?"

Bucky let out a huff, accompanied by a smile. "It wasn't easy," he replied. "Putting two stubborn Brooklyn boys who could never be separated on the school yard together in a life and death situation? We were certainly always on each other's mind at first, but we both knew we had to remember that a lot of other people were counting on us. Plus, we both knew that, when we signed up for the Army in the first place, there was already no guarantee that we'd even be coming home anyway. Sure, we did our best to make sure we had each other's backs, but we knew we had to let the other person take on that risk, not hide them from it." 

Peter's eyes ventured away from Bucky's, shifting towards the floor. 

"I just keep thinking back to how badly I wanted to be a part of the Avengers at first," he said. "You guys were like the cool kids on the block in the superhero world, and I so desperately wished I could be part of the group. Then Titan happened, then the Battle of Earth happened, and I lost Tony. I go solo for a while, then start to work with Captain Stacy, then I lose him too...it's just easy to feel like I'm cursed to lose everybody I work with. I don't want to go through that again."

"I know," Bucky said. "You've endured so much more at your age then anyone should have to in a lifetime. But Tony, the captain, they didn't partner with you just because they liked you; they worked with you because you guys all had a collective interest in the common good. They accepted the risk just like you did. It's a part of what we do, and sadly, we can't change that." 

Peter sighed. "I know." 

Their conversation was cut short by F.R.I.D.A.Y. alerting them that they were quickly approaching Times Square. Peter instructed the A.I. to lower the ramp so they could jump out a little beforehand. 

"We can't use parachutes, otherwise we'll be easy targets for them," Peter said. 

"I presume you have another idea then?" Bucky asked. 

"Yep," Peter said. "You ready to go for a swing?"

"I could easily handle the Cyclone at Coney Island back in the day," Bucky said, shrugging. "How much crazier could this be?"

Peter gave him a bit of a skeptical look, but took Bucky's response as a yes. The two of them stepped out onto the ramp, getting ready to jump. 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, once we're out of here, circle the quinjet back to the base," Peter shouted. 

"Yes boss," the A.I. responded. 

Peter made sure he had a good grip on Bucky's arm. "You ready?" 

"Let's do it," the man responded. 

The two of them then counted down, leaping once they'd reached three. As they were in a state of free fall, Peter looked ahead of them to the scene in the Square. Several cop cars were overturned, some of them even on fire, and the Six were tearing through squads of police and S.W.A.T. alike. They didn't have much time. 

Reaching just the right point at last, Peter fired a web, launching them both into a deep swing. A few more of those later, they finally came onto the scene. Spotting Kraven nearest to them, Peter released Bucky's hand once they were close to the ground, and the Winter Soldier immediately began a hard pressed attack on the Russian. Peter then released his web, dropping into the fray himself...right next to Sandman. 

"Ah, we were beginning to think you weren't going to show!" the criminal spouted. 

"Well, since your boss cut our reunion short earlier, I knew I couldn't miss this," Peter answered back, crouching into a position where he could react to anything. Right as he did, his spider-sense rang out. Turning to the source of the whole thing, he saw none other than Rhino barreling towards him. 

"Out of the way! He's mine!" Rhino called out, leaning in with his horn.

Noticing Sandman had also seen his comrade running towards them, Peter took the opportunity to slide under Sandman's legs, kicking him in the back right into the path of the Rhino. Thankfully, Sandman was hard enough to take his kick, but not hard enough to withstand the force at which the man was charging at them. Sure enough, Rhino ran straight through Sandman, causing the latter's form to burst, shooting bits of sand all over the place. 

"Hey, watch you're going!" Sandman yelled as he reconstituted himself. 

"Maybe you should watch where you're standing!" Rhino shouted back. 

As the two of them continued to bicker, Peter's spider-sense rang out again, this time saving him from an attack from the Lizard. 

"Doc, I don't want to hurt you," he said. "But I will if I have to." As he backed away slowly from the skulking beast, Peter got a call from Yuri again. 

"You'll have to talk at me," Peter said as he dodged several swipes of the Lizard's claws. 

"Okay, now that you're here, most of the villains seem to be gravitating towards you guys," she said. "Try and keep it that way; I'm going to pull our wounded back while sending the others to get civilians out of here."

"Copy that," Peter said. "Just be the pinata everyone is trying to hit while you and the others get people out of here."

"Can you handle that?" the lady asked. 

"I don't think I have much choice," he said, finally managing to land a strike against the Lizard, a punch straight to the jaw that sent the creature flying backwards. 

"Sorry doc," he said. However, as he recovered, Rhino and Sandman joined him. 

"Ah, you guys make up already?" Peter taunted. "That didn't last long." 

"Goblin remind us who real enemy is," Rhino spat. 

"Since when do you take orders anyway, Rhino?" Peter questioned, backing up slowly, his body bracing itself for action at any minute. 

"I go where money is," Rhino answered. 

"Smart man," came yet another voice. Peter glanced up, seeing the Goblin descend slowly on his glider, with the Vulture right next to him. 

"No, a smart man is anyone who doesn't go into business with you," Peter rebutted. 

"Why wouldn't he? the Goblin answered calmly, coming down right in front of the other villains. "Not only will he be a very rich man, but more importantly, he'll be on the winning side." 

"Not as long as I'm still here," Peter answered. 

"Oh, I'm sure that can be remedied," the Goblin said, his voice sounding very matter of fact in tone. "However, I think you have more pressing concerns." The Goblin gestured to his right, and Peter's eyes followed this gesture to see that Bucky was on the verge of getting overwhelmed by Kraven. 

"What's it going to be, Spider-Man?" the Goblin questioned, his mask twisting to form a devilish grin. "Helping your friend, or focusing on us." 

Peter looked over briefly to Bucky. He needed to think fast. 

"How about option C?" he answered. "All of the above!" 

Moving like lightning, Peter fired a series of well placed web shots, blinding the Goblin, Rhino and Lizard and scattering the others momentarily. Capitalizing on his enemies being momentarily distracted, Peter leapt on top of the Rhino, placing a couple of webs on the brute's shoulders. 

"What are you doing?" the Russian spat angrily as he tugged at the webbing at his eyes. 

"Just hitching a ride," Peter said, tugging at the webbing while pushing his feet into the man's back, causing him to rumble forward. The man's steps began to move more quickly as he sought to steady himself, Peter steering him right in the direction of Bucky and Kraven. 

"Hey, Tarzan!" Peter shouted. "Heads up!" 

The jungle man paused his attack to look in the direction of who called him, and in doing so let up just enough for Bucky to get free and land a punch with his metallic arm straight into the man's face, sending him flying. Bucky then jumped up just before Rhino stomped right over him.

"Get ready, we've got incoming," Peter called out, tugging at the webbing to turn Rhino around. The other villains were in pursuit behind them, and to make matters worse, Peter's ride had managed to free the webbing from his face at last. He then reached desperately for the one on his back, but Peter swiftly maneuvered out of the way. As the other villains came nearer, Peter stuck his feet to the man's back. Bending back and placing his hands on the ground, he tucked his legs in, lifting Rhino off the ground and then launching him at the others like a bulldozer ball. This only served to slightly scatter the other villains, with the Goblin and Vulture easily able to get around. Peter dodged in between the two air born villains, firing a web at the Goblin's glider and pulling it taught so that Osborn stopped in the middle of his flight path. Immediately, before the man could turn the glider and reassert control, Peter slung it straight for the Vulture, causing the latter to veer last second out of the way. 

Of course, now was when Yuri had to call again. 

"Make it quick," Peter said, as by now the ground bound villains were on his heels. 

"We've managed to get the last of the civilians out of here," she said. "I've called for air support, but it's might take some time." 

"I'm not sure how much of that we have," Peter answered in the middle of dodging attacks of Rhino and Sandman. In addition, he noticed Bucky fending off assaults from the Lizard and Kraven. For now, he was faring okay, but Peter didn't know how long that would last. Webbing an already demolished vehicle, he slung it against his enemies, but Rhino merely smacked it out of the way. 

"Is that all you got?" the Russian taunted. 

Spotting a fire hydrant just behind him, Peter got an idea. 

"Why don't you boys come over here and find out!" he challenged. Sure enough, both Rhino and Sandman took the bait, and once they were close enough, Peter lured them right over the hydrant, leaping away and tearing it open a he did, causing Sandman to turn into a pile of mud and Rhino to stagger back as he was blasted in the face with water. 

Taking advantage of this, Peter turned to help Bucky. He swung into the Lizard, kicking the creature in the back and sending him flying across the way. The two then went to work against Kraven, knocking him down and webbing him to the ground. 

"Thanks," Bucky said. 

"No problem," Peter replied. 

Then his spider-sense rang like crazy, which was saying something since it had basically been stuck in permanent tingle mode since they got there. He looked up to see Osborn throwing bombs and launching rockets right at their area. 

"Move!!" Peter yelled. He tried to leap out of the way, but there was just too much firepower raining down around them, one of the many explosions sending Peter crashing hard into the ground. No sooner had this happened then the Lizard grabbed him by the arm, slinging him directly into the ground repeatedly. Sandman then came into the picture, having managed to reconstitute himself enough to form a hammer out of his fist, slamming it straight into Peter's back multiple times. 

The attacks didn't stop there, as soon the Goblin and Vulture descended into the fray, and soon it was coming from every side. A punch from the Goblin to the side, a hit from the tail of the Lizard against his ribs, a kick from the Rhino...they didn't let up. Peter couldn't catch his breath as he was relentlessly beaten. Finally, the assault came to a stop, and once more the Goblin stood over him. 

"I must say, you put up a better fight than even I suspected you could against us," the Goblin said as he grabbed Peter by the head, lifting him up slightly off the ground as he himself bent down. "Sadly, that also means you are an even greater threat. I was going to wait to kill you until your city had fallen, but I suppose this will have to do." 

The Goblin then reached for Peter's throat with his other hand, but a sudden cock of a gun stopped him, drawing both his and Peter's attention to the source of the sound. 

"Let him go," Bucky said, his rifle finally unsheathed from it's place on his back and pointed directly at the Goblin. In response, Osborn simply laughed. 

"A bold move, Winter Soldier," the Goblin said, tossing Peter aside. "However, even if you wouldn't be taken out by my comrades here as soon as you fired, my suit can handle whatever that can dish out, I assure you. I designed it myself, after all."

As Osborn kept talking, Peter looked up to see just why the Goblin kept talking. 

"Bucky, behind you!" he shouted. 

Bucky spun around just in time to dodge a sudden swing of Kraven's blade. However, the man then came at the former Winter Soldier with a vengeance, disarming him of his gun and plunging his blade on the right side of the man's gut. 

"Noooo!" Peter called out as Kraven unsheathed the blade from Bucky's body, tossing him over so that he landed a few feet from Peter. The man could barely move to clasp at his wound, much less fight anymore. Peter had to think of a way to get them out of there, fast. 

"You don't exactly seem to have the best of luck with keeping allies, now do you?" the Goblin gloated. "Oh, don't worry, this time, I'll make sure you both go out together." 

As the Goblin marched over to him, Peter noticed a manhole with it's cover off just a few feet from them. He just needed a way to distract the villains, then he could slip the two of them away. He then noticed an overturned vehicle leaking gasoline nearby. There were several other overturned vehicles from all the chaos around them. It was a risk, but...

"Any last words, Spider-Man?" the Goblin asked as he stood over Peter, one of his razor bats in hand. 

"Just some advice," Peter said. "Next time you throw a party, bring some fireworks." 

Moving his arm as fast as he could, Peter fired a web at the gasoline while simultaneously pressing the spider symbol in his chest, sending electricity surging through the webbing. As soon as it came over the gasoline link in the vehicle, it exploded in a fiery blaze, with others falling rapidly as the fire spread around the trail of gasoline. As soon as the Goblin had been blown back by the blast, Peter grabbed Bucky, moving quickly along the ground and sliding them both down the manhole into the sewer below. He landed in a heap on the concrete as he held Bucky over him to steady the impact he took. His whole body ached and hurt, but he had to keep moving; he had no real idea if any of the other villains saw him. 

He forced himself up and began moving as fast as he could through the maze that was New York's literal underground. After a couple minutes of not having heard any of the Six in pursuit, he stopped, setting Bucky down so he could assess his wound. The man was barely still conscious, only giving the occasional moan. However, if Peter's remembering of basic human anatomy was correct, Kraven's stabbing had missed anything really important, but the man had still already lost a lot of blood. Peter knew if he tried to get him back to the compound, he wouldn't make it. 

He then remembered that Happy had sent him a coded message about where he had taken the others: an old underground workshop Tony had set up back in his more paranoid days, in case he literally needed to go underground for any reason. After all, nobody would expect a man who was known for flying to be hiding out under the city. He also remembered Tony had talked about always keeping first aid handy, so he had to hope that he had something where he could at least stop the bleeding. 

The location wasn't far, but he still needed to move quickly. Picking up his ally in his arms, Peter once more forced himself up, even as his body screamed at him to stop. He didn't know for sure how bad his own injuries were, but he knew one thing for sure: 

He was not going to lose another partner. 

Not again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all are continuing to enjoy it! 
> 
> I am continuing to pray for you all. Please, stay safe and healthy out there! 
> 
> "But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father..." 1 John 2:1-2


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Also, how's Bucky doing?" Peter asked, remembering the comrade of his that he had brought in. 
> 
> "He seems to be doing okay," she answered. "Ned said he was still out the last time he came in to check on you." 
> 
> Peter hung his head once more, shaking it from side to side as his frustration grew. 
> 
> "It almost happened again M.J," he said. "I almost lost someone else." 
> 
> "Peter," she said softly but firmly. Even without looking at her, he could tell by how close her voice sounded that she was bent down just enough so her face was level with his now. "I know where you're head is right now, but you can't let it stay there. You can't let HIM stay there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter reunites with his friends, helps Bucky, and has an emotional talk with M.J.

Peter was nearly to the old workshop, but he was exhausted. The beating he took at the hands of the Six had left him battered, and he was pretty sure he was bruising almost everywhere, and for all he knew he might even be bleeding internally. He was so close though, and Bucky's life depended on him making it to life saving help in time. With each step, his body felt heavier and heavier, and his body screamed at him to stop and rest, but he refused. Once he made it, the others could help him; he just needed to get there. 

Finally, he arrived. He accessed the coded lock; he remembered Tony sharing that his password to most stuff like this was a fusion of his and Pepper's birthday months, plus the year he was born. His mentor had always joked that, since her birth month came first, it was his year that got to be on the end. Peter gently shifted Bucky onto his shoulder for a moment so that he could enter the numbers: 020570. 

Almost instantly, the door opened, and Peter quickly moved inside. He was promptly greeted by everyone momentarily before they showed him where they had set up all the medical equipment. Peter laid Bucky down on one of the spots they had cleared out. 

"We can handle this kid, now it's your turn," Happy insisted, but Peter wasn't about to not help, especially since he'd already had a plan in mind. He searched the medical supplies looking for what he especially hoped would be there. 

"Peter, you need to rest," he could hear May say. She probably was the one who needed rest, as she was undoubtedly still recovering from having poison removed from her system, but he forced himself not to think about that. A moment later, he finally found what he was looking for: the spray that he remembered Tony had used to close his stab wound on Titan. It wasn't a cure, but at least it could help set Bucky up to let his enhanced healing do it's work a little better...assuming he'd even got him there on time. 

Moving back towards the laid out man, he tore the man's clothes at the spot of the wound, applying the spray down the line of the wound. He watched as it did it's work, the skin closing back up around the stabbed area. By now, the man had been unconscious for a while, but hopefully with a little extra work and some proper rest, he'd make it. 

"Okay," Peter said, letting out an exhausted sigh. "Watch him, and...let me know if anythi...." that was the last thing he remembered before darkness overtook him. 

\---

Peter's eyes slowly opened as consciousness crept back into his being. He blinked a couple times as his location came into focus; it was a smaller room right next to the lab itself. He looked around the room, and somehow wasn't all that surprised to see M.J. to his left, leaning against the wall. 

"Let me guess," Peter said, chuckling to himself, "you drew the short straw over who was going to be the one to tell me how reckless and stubborn I was being earlier when I wouldn't let you guys help me?"

"Oh no," she said. "Forget drawing straws, I would've fought for that privilege." 

"Yeah, that makes sense," Peter replied, realizing how ridiculous his question was. He slowly sat up, but M.J. rushed over his side to prevent him from standing up. 

"Woah, you're not going anywhere, at least not right away," she said. 

"How long was I out anyway?" Peter asked.

"A couple hours," she replied. 

"That's a couple hours too long then," Peter said as he slowly tried to scoot off the seat, but M.J. pressed her legs against his to get him to stop. 

"You know I could just move you if I really wanted to, right?" Peter asked, looking his girlfriend in the eyes. 

She matched his gaze, her eyes focused and determined. "I guess I'm just trusting that, somewhere in there, you have at least a shred of sense to realize you need to take a moment and get your strength back," she answered him. 

Of course, like usual, she was right. For all Peter's determination, he knew he needed to take five, especially since his list of allies that were within the city was all but depleted at this point. The next time he went up against the Six, it was probably going to be just him, and the thought alone was almost enough to overwhelm him. 

Shifting his thoughts towards another matter, he asked her how May was doing. 

"She's doing alright," M.J. reported. "She still doesn't have a lot of strength; it took a lot out of her just to get her moved here."

"I'm surprised she isn't in here too," he replied. 

"She probably would be if she didn't spend about the last of the energy she had assessing your condition," M.J. said. "She even put your suit back on once she bandaged you up before Happy finally got her to lie down." 

Peter looked down, guilt washing over him at the thought that ONCE AGAIN, he was the cause of May having to sacrifice her own well being for his. 

"I'm sorry," M.J. said, apparently picking up on his thoughts. "I shouldn't have..."

"Don't be," Peter said, looking his girlfriend straight in the eyes once more so that he could better assure her. "I know you didn't mean it that way. You were just telling it like it is. Believe it or not, it's one of the many things I love about you." 

M.J. offered a light smile in response. 

"Also, how's Bucky doing?" Peter asked, remembering the comrade of his that he had brought in. 

"He seems to be doing okay," she answered. "Ned said he was still out the last time he came in to check on you." 

Peter hung his head once more, shaking it from side to side as his frustration grew. 

"It almost happened again M.J," he said. "I almost lost someone else." 

"Peter," she said softly but firmly. Even without looking at her, he could tell by how close her voice sounded that she was bent down just enough so her face was level with his now. "I know where you're head is right now, but you can't let it stay there. You can't let HIM stay there." 

"I don't know how to get him out of my head, M.J!" Peter said. His voice was louder than he intended for it to be, but he couldn't help it. Everything he had been feeling over the last several days, all his confusion, his desperation, his anger and his sense of helplessness all boiled to the surface as he continued: "It seems like what little good I've been able to do against him has all been for nothing. Every time I go up against him anymore, I've come close to losing someone; Sam, Fury, Hill, now Bucky...and on top of that, I'm no closer to stopping him and all his..."

He cut him self off, partly because he needed to take a breath, but also because he hated speaking so loudly to her. 

"I'm sorry M.J," he said. "I shouldn't be shouting like this, I just...I don't know where to go from here." 

M.J. looked him in the eyes, standing up straight now so she could more easily put her arms around his shoulders, resting them gently on his back. 

"Peter," she said, and something about the way she said it told him whatever came next was going to be every important. "You haven't been fighting to beat him." 

Peter looked at her, perplexed. 

"You think you have, but you've just been playing damage control in your head," she continued. "You've been so focused on everything that can go wrong."

"Are you saying I should just try and forget about all the potential consequences of what happens if I lose?" he asked. 

"No," M.J. said, squinting her eyes shut, shaking her head. Clearly, what she was thinking wasn't coming out quite as she would like. "No, that's not it. I can't imagine it would be possible in your position to do that. What I'm saying is...don't let your fear and worry cripple you in battle. Let it motivate you."

"How?" Peter asked. 

"Start actually thinking about what it takes to defeat these guys," she said. "Trusting your powers can only get you so far; you need to start thinking more practically if you're going to take these guys down." 

Peter looked away from her eyes, facing the floor again as he processed her words. 

"So," she said, "what are you going to do?" 

It was the same question she had asked in the hotel room in Prague, when his mind was scattered regarding what his next move would be against Mysterio. Back then, she had said it much more nervously, as if she was searching for answers just as much as he was. Now, it was less her own insecurities and concerns and more her challenging him to look at the picture in a way he hadn't before. However, the same thing happened as it did all those months ago: Peter's mind began to realign towards the task at hand. He strayed from the big picture to focus on what the next immediate step was. 

He had defeated each member of the Six before by utilizing something against them, whether it was a character flaw, a physical weakness, or a cure, he had specifically done something in each previous battle against them that ended up being the key to victory. With Sandman, it had been tricking him into a position where he could freeze his silicates. That wouldn't work now though, given that it was almost summer. He could still do what he did with Kraven though; he had goaded him into being more foolish and sloppy in his attacks. Come to think of it, that could work for Rhino too. If he could challenge their pride, if he could make them sloppy, he stood a chance. 

He still needed to do something about Connors though. He had basically whipped up the formula to reverse the good doctor's Lizard problem just from glancing at his notes, so he pretty much knew the formula. He probably could whip up something in the lab to handle Sandman too, but doing both would probably take more time than he likely had.

"What are you thinking?" M.J. asked. 

He looked up at her, and suddenly he had an idea. 

"I'm thinking that I'm going to need your help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! I know this chapter was a bit short, but I really wanted to focus in on the scene between Peter and M.J. 
> 
> As always, I continue to pray for you guys. Please, stay as safe and healthy as you can. 
> 
> "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" Matthew 22:34-39


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter got up and walked back out to the main room, with M.J. following close behind him. 
> 
> "Guys, I have a plan," he announced to the group before backtracking somewhat, "or at least the start of one. M.J. and Ned, I need your all's help especially." 
> 
> "Ohh boy, the F.O.S. team is back at it!" Ned said excitedly. "Although, M.J. your his girlfriend, so...G.F.O.S? I don't know, it's your category, you can call it whatever you want I gue..." 
> 
> He must've noticed the look Peter and probably everyone else was giving him, as he paused and his cheeks suddenly appeared a bit flushed. 
> 
> "Sorry man; didn't mean to steal your thunder," he apologized. "You were saying?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter shares his plan, and the Goblin accelerates his own.

Peter got up and walked back out to the main room, with M.J. following close behind him. 

"Guys, I have a plan," he announced to the group before backtracking somewhat, "or at least the start of one. M.J. and Ned, I need your all's help especially." 

"Ohh boy, the F.O.S. team is back at it!" Ned said excitedly. "Although, M.J. your his girlfriend, so...G.F.O.S? I don't know, it's your category, you can call it whatever you want I gue..." 

He must've noticed the look Peter and probably everyone else was giving him, as he paused and his cheeks suddenly appeared a bit flushed. 

"Sorry man; didn't mean to steal your thunder," he apologized. "You were saying?" 

Peter let out a small chuckle, shaking his head a bit at his best friend's enthusiasm before continuing. 

"M.J. helped me see that I need to focus on ways to take down each member of the Six, so I've got some ideas for a couple of them," he explained. "One of their biggest wild cards is the Sandman. I was thinking if we could come up with a coagulant that could hold keep him solidified, it could neutralize him almost instantly. Ned, that's where you and M.J. are going to come in." 

"So, you want us to develop this from scratch?" M.J. asked. 

"What, you think we can't do it?" Ned challenged. 

M.J. tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at Ned in response to this. 

"No," she said firmly, "but doing this is going to take quite a bit of time. I'm just saying, it might not be ready for the next time those guys are out there causing chaos." 

"Then it's a good thing it won't be from scratch," Peter said. He then called upon F.R.I.D.A.Y. 

"Can you pull up the files on the web formula prototypes Mr. Stark and I were developing?" he asked. 

"Certainly," the A.I. responded. Peter then walked over to the center round table in the room where the information would be projected. Sure enough, several files popped up, and he scrolled through until he found the right one. 

"Ah ha!" Peter said, tapping the file to reveal its contents. "This is an incomplete formula for a special kind of webbing that, in theory, could harden instantaneously upon contact with its target. Basically, it would create an airtight cocoon if you will that would be stronger than concrete. Mr. Stark and I were working on this before...anyway, this should be a good start for you guys, plus I can leave one of my extra web cartridges here for you to analyze it against." 

"Got it," Ned replied. "So, what's the other idea?" 

"While you guys are working on this, I'll head back to Doctor Connors's lab at ESU," Peter explained. "I know the formula for the antiserum that I used last time to cure him, and everything I need to make it is still there." 

"Okay, so that's two of them that are handled in theory," Happy said. "What about the other four?" 

"Yeah, and what happens to the doctor once you cure him mid battle?" May asked from the spot she was lying at. "Won't he be caught in the crossfire?" 

"I'm still working on that," Peter said. "A lot of it will have to be me assessing the situation and environment I'm in next time I encounter them. Once the doc is cured, I should be able to at least keep the others distracted by their primary target: me." 

Peter then moved over to see his aunt. 

"Just...at least wait to fight them until he's better," she said, gesturing with her head over towards Bucky, who was still out and recovering from his stab wound. 

"I can't promise that May," he said. He wished he could reassure her more, but he couldn't bring himself to give her false promises. He hadn't yet, and he wouldn't start now. 

"Peter, you can't fight them alone," she said. 

"But I won't be alone," Peter said, crouching down next to May, rubbing his aunt's forehead gently with his thumb as the rest of his hand rested against her hair. "I have you." 

He then turned around to face the others. 

"All of you," he added. "I know this all seems like a lot, but we can do this." 

"We won't let you down man," Ned said, walking up to him and initiating their special handshake, which culminated in a tight hug. 

"I know," Peter said as they separated. 

"Well, see you soon I guess," Happy said, offering a handshake to Peter, which he accepted. "You know, cause at least you have to come back for that stuff they're making." 

"And I believe again after that," Peter said, trying to be as confident as he could. While he did feel better about the situation now that he at least had the beginnings of a plan, there was still a lot to be worked out yet. 

"Be careful," Betty offered. 

"I will," he said. Peter then looked to M.J, motioning with his head for her to follow him towards the exit. She did so, staying just behind him until they reached the the way back out into the New York underground. 

"I wanted a moment so that I could give you a couple things," he said, reaching down to the belt area of his suit to pull out the web cartridge he mentioned earlier. 

"What's the other thing?" she said as she took the case of web fluid from him. 

Peter then took her cheek in his hand as he pressed a deep kiss into her lips. 

"Wow," she said once they separated. 

"I just wanted one more moment," he said. "You know, with just the two of us, before, you know, I have to go face most of the lowlifes I put away over the last year." 

M.J. smiled briefly before hanging her head. 

"I'm sorry," Peter said, "putting it like that probably doesn't..."

"It's not that," M.J. said, cutting him off. 

Peter leaned down just a little to see her face, searching her eyes, finding that they were focused on the web container in her hand. 

"Hey," he said as he ran his gloved hand down the sleeve of her jacket. "What is it?" 

M.J. looked up, allowing her eyes to meet his finally. 

"You have no idea how much I've been dying to be able to actually do something in the midst of all this," she said. "Something practical that would help you. But now that the option is right in front of me...you really trust me with this?" 

"I will always trust you," Peter said, offering her a smile. "Always have, and always will." 

M.J. smiled for a moment, then next thing Peter knew, her hand was behind his neck as she pulled him in for a kiss this time. For the next few seconds, he wanted nothing more than to leave the problems of the world around them for somebody else to deal with and just stay with her, and he could tell she felt the same way. However, once their lips finally separated, bitter reality hit home once more that couldn't be the case. This was their life, for all the good or ill they would have to face together. 

More than anything else, she was what he would be fighting for out there.

"Go," she said softly. Peter slowly pulled away from her, their hands holding onto each other as long as they could before distance finally forced them to separate. Turning toward the exit, Peter slipped on his mask and took his leave. 

\---

The Goblin flew high over most of the city as he headed for Dr. Warren's lab again. As he looked down on the city, he thought of all that would soon be his...as soon as he took care of Spider-Man. He had to admit, he underestimated the wall crawler yet again, and if he wasn't careful, he might pay for it yet. 

When he had first brought the Sinister Six together, he had decided to let them have their fun out in battle in the short term. He wanted Spider-Man dead, but he also enjoyed torturing the webslinger in every way possible as he sought to find his breaking point. However, as the fight in Times Square had raged on, the boy had held his own out there for far longer than expected. The Goblin enjoyed their encounters greatly; they were like a game of chess to him, each player trying to size up and overcome whatever move their opponent had just made. However, at the same time, he realized something: at some point, he was going to have to end the game with a checkmate. He enjoyed the game, but when it came to the game verses the actual victory, he would choose the latter every time. 

Finally arriving at his destination, the Goblin entered through an open window in the ceiling. 

"Hello again, good doctor!" he called out as he did. The man inside turned to see him, and the Goblin took great pleasure in seeing the man's face turn pale for at least a moment before recomposing himself. 

"How goes your work?" he asked, hopping off his glider, leaving it hovering just a few feet above the floor. 

"It's coming along," the scientist said as confidently as he could muster. "Some of the changes you wanted me to make to the serum are a little more complicated than I anticipated, but I expect it to be ready in a couple of days." 

"See, that's the thing," the Goblin said, putting his arm around the doctor's shoulders. "I'm afraid our timetable has moved up a little. I want that serum ready by tomorrow." 

"Tomorrow?" the man said. "I don't know if I can meet that without potentially compromising the integrity of the formula." 

"Oh, I'm sure you can," the Goblin said. "Man was made to be pushed, doctor. Look at me, for instance! I prime example of the physical abilities of man being pushed far greater than normal!" 

"Yes, but...I'm not sure you understand," the man said. "Rushing the process greatly increases the risk of it not working at all, or worse..."

"What I understand," the Goblin replied, grabbing the man by the throat, "is that you are refusing to comply with my orders. Don't forget doctor, it was I who funded your little side experiments; it was I who gave you a chance when no one else would. So tell me: wouldn't you say it's only fair for you to comply with what I am asking of you?" 

Dr. Warren, struggling against the grip of the gloved hand on his throat, managed to nod in affirmation. 

"Good," the Goblin said, a devilish smile spreading across his face as he released the man from his grasp. "I'll let you get back to it then. After all, you need an undisturbed environment in order to accomplish this task, I'm sure." 

As the Goblin walked back towards the glider, the man spoke up again. 

"Why do you even want more of the formula?" he asked. 

Undeterred, the Goblin hopped off his glider. 

"Why, to remake the criminal underworld...in my image." 

The Goblin then cackled manically as he zoomed back out the same way he came in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'll be honest: I am STRUGGLING to finish this. I've loved this series, and I am still eager to share how it finishes with you all, but I am ready to move on to something different for a while. I've got a couple ideas for stories that have nothing to do with my previous works that I'm really excited about, but I don't want to start those until I get this out of the way. I want to finish this, but this 8 month journey is beginning to wear on me. 
> 
> Anyway, I digress. Just needed to be honest for a minute. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! 
> 
> I continue to pray for you all. Stay as safe and healthy as you can, and Happy Thanksgiving!! 
> 
> "Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy..." 1 Timothy 1:12-14


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M.J. had been right; he had been far too focused on why this was happening and what the consequences would likely be instead of what he was actually doing about it. Peter knew it would be impossible for him to just not think about everything that could go wrong. He was more than aware of how his mind worked, but he needed to try and harness those restless emotions and fears in the right way. He needed to meet his issues head on, six of them to be exact. 
> 
> However, he couldn't do that until he had tipped the scales somewhat in his favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Adrian's options are more limited than ever, and Peter gets to work on the cure, having a talk with Yuri in the process.

The more time that Adrian had to do nothing but mull over his situation, the more he was beginning to hate it. All he could come back to was his daughter, and a growing dread that all of this was for nothing. Multiple terrible possibilities entered his mind; for instance, what if Liz was already dead, and this was all for nothing? Worse yet, what if she was still alive, but slowly dying somewhere of starvation and thirst?

When he'd first been informed of the Goblin's holding hostage of his daughter somewhere, Adrian had believed at the time that he had no choice but to join up with this "Sinister Six" in order to give his daughter a chance to be free again. As far as he was concerned, it would basically be just like any of the weapons deals he used to oversee years ago: he gives the buyer what they want, they give him what he wants in return. However, even from his first time meeting the Goblin, something about the man just screamed that he couldn't be trusted. He seemed a treacherous, narcissistic individual, who only seemed to view him and the other members of this little "team" as assets. From the moment of them boarding the ship to leave the Raft, his fear of Liz's condition grew worse. 

These fears had only been exacerbated by the first time he had tried to press the Goblin for proof of life. All he'd done was make a simple, reasonable request, and in return, that psychopath had put him in his place, showing him that not only was there any hope of him seeing Liz unless the man allowed it, but he stood no chance of overpowering him in order to change his mind. So, Adrian had made up his mind to play the game he had been drafted into for the time being. Yet, here he was after their first encounter with Spider-Man being a failure, and not one step closer to seeing his daughter, to making sure she was safe. 

For just a moment, the tiniest sliver of his mind tried to bring forth an idea, but he squandered it immediately. It was ridiculous and largely problematic, for a number of reasons. Sure, he knew the kid would be willing to help, seeing as he did have a crush on Liz at one point, but there was no way he'd believe him now. If Peter would believe him, he had no way to get into contact with him, plus, if the Goblin found out about such treachery, or even any of the others...no he couldn't risk it. He would stay the course for now, continuing to keep his distance from his cohorts unless otherwise was necessary in battle, so he could devote himself to coming up with some kind of plan, a way to figure out where Liz was and if she was okay. 

He was going to have to do so on his own, but he didn't see any other way. 

Adrian was interrupted from his thoughts by the return of the Goblin, coming in through an open area of the ceiling. He and the others gathered around the center as the Goblin descended slowly to them. 

"Gentlemen," the green and purple clad individual said, hopping off his glider to join them around the table they were standing at. "To this point, I have let you have your fun in battle, both at the Raft and in the Square. I have let you do it your own way, because that is all you have ever known. However, our recent encounter with the wall crawler has reminded me that we can take no chances with him. Therefore, when we go out there to face him again, you will all follow my plan this time."

"Your plan?" Rhino gawked, already sounding angry. "You were the one that let him get away!" 

"And yet," the Goblin said, his voice showing no signs of being intimidated by the much larger man, "how many of each of you had several shots at him before me?" The Goblin stared at Rhino, who had no response, but was still huffing and puffing. 

"Truth be told," the Goblin continued, turning his attention back to the rest of the group, "At first, I didn't really want to kill Spider-Man so soon. He still had so much more to lose. However, I have plans, plans that will make us all both rich and powerful. I will rule this city, and you all will be my greatest weapons. However, I once again see how...clever our itsy bitsy spider is, and as long as he is alive, all of these goals are at risk. We are going to get it right next time, because you will be truly following my lead for the first time."

"I follow no one's lead in battle," Rhino grunted once more, the brute's patience clearly wearing thin. 

"Allow me to make this clear," the Goblin answered him. "You will either do as I say, or suffer the consequences." 

At that, Rhino smashed his fist into the ground in a rage before charging the Goblin. Adrian watched with wide eyes at what was unfolding before him. Rhino plunged towards his target head first, obviously intending to spear him horn first. However, the much more agile Goblin flipped over the Russian, attaching a small round device to the man's backside. As he landed on his feet smoothly, Rhino soared past him, finally stopping a distance away. Without hesitation, he charged again, but the Goblin calmly tapped a button on the left forearm area of his suit, and suddenly several powerful surges of electricity emptied into Rhino's body, causing him to stop immediately, dropping to the ground. The once mighty, brutish individual was now crying out and writhing in intense pain. 

Adrian turned to look at the Goblin, and what he saw frightened him more than anything he'd seen before: there was a sick, demented smile spread across the man's masked face, his eyes wide almost with glee, even if there was still subtle evidence of frustration at his subordinate for questioning his authority. Despite that frustration, the Goblin seemed to be genuinely enjoying making Rhino suffer immensely, as he refused to stop the voltage for almost a full minute before finally tapping a button in the same area as before, finally causing the device to cease releasing the voltage. Adrian could only watch as the man strode over towards the Rhino, stopping short of reaching distance from him. 

"Now, do you have anything else you would like to say?" the Goblin asked. 

Rhino, still gasping for air after the shock and the screaming, managed to shake his head as he finally managed to get on a knee. 

"Good," the Goblin said. The man then turned back to face the rest of the group. "And the same goes for all of you. If anyone challenges my authority again, I have the means to immobilize each and every one of you, and be assured, you will suffer in the worst ways before finally ending your lives. Any questions?"

Adrian was silent, as was the rest of the group. 

"Excellent," the Goblin replied. "Now, here's what we are going to do..." 

As the Goblin laid out his plan for their next assault on Spider-Man, Adrian struggled to fully pay attention. All he could come back to what was he just saw, how that psychopath had humiliated a man much more powerful than himself as if it were nothing. He now believed he stood less of a chance than ever before in any kind of confrontation with the Goblin. 

As such, he now felt as helpless as ever in helping his daughter. 

\---

Peter finally arrived at the manhole that was right outside of the lab at ESU. It was strange; this was the same entryway that Connors had escaped into as the Lizard all those months ago. He had every reason to believe he would never see the scaly side of his boss...of his friend ever again. After all, every test that Dr. Cho and her team at the compound ran him through came back negative for anything outside of normal human DNA. Yet, still, the Lizard had found its way into their lives again, all because another enemy of his wanted to hurt him in the most personal ways possible.

He acknowledged that lost thought only briefly before setting it off to the side of his mind as he emerged from the sewer and headed for the lab. M.J. had been right; he had been far too focused on why this was happening and what the consequences would likely be instead of what he was actually doing about it. Peter knew it would be impossible for him to just not think about everything that could go wrong. He was more than aware of how his mind worked, but he needed to try and harness those restless emotions and fears in the right way. He needed to meet his issues head on, six of them to be exact. 

However, he couldn't do that until he had tipped the scales somewhat in his favor. 

Peter accessed the lab via the ventilation system, dropping down in the middle area. Quickly, he went to work gathering the necessary chemicals, compounds and other things necessary to reverse the good doctor's condition once more. Moving swiftly but also carefully and precisely, he put together the concoction, finishing it much faster this time than before. He double checked to make sure that everything was in order, and it all added up to another good dose of the cure. However, he still needed its refrigeration time in order to have its full affect. Trying to make practical use of the time he now found himself having, he decided to give Yuri a call to check on how things were on her end. 

"Please tell me you have some good news?" Yuri asked as soon as she answered. 

"Not especially," Peter answered. "I don't have a lead on the Goblin or the Six's location yet. However, I've got a couple things in the works that should give me a much stronger chance the next time I come up against them. I wanted to check on you though; how is everyone involved in the attack holding up?" 

"Could definitely be better," Yuri admitted. "I was one of the lucky ones who only came out with a few scratches; several of the others are hospitalized with serious injuries, and two died before we could even get them off the scene." 

Peter lowered his head, running his gloved hand over the top of his mask in frustration. Those people had died, and more were at great risk, because he had failed. He forced himself to set that thought aside for the time being however, tossing himself back into the conversation. 

Man, this whole not dwelling on things too much deal was exhausting. 

"I'm sorry Yuri," he said. "We're going to get this done though."

There was a moment of silence before she responded. 

"I know," she said. "I just can't see how right now." 

"Trust me, I hit that point a lot," he replied. "Look, let's just keep each other in the loop like we have been, and the next time they're sighted, do what you can, and once I get there, leave engaging them to me. I'm their target; if you and the other officers can keep the civilians safe and get them out of harm's way, it'll play to my advantage not to have to worry about them." 

"Okay," Yuri said. "I won't lie, keeping up this partnership low profile has been hard at times, but you haven't let me down yet, and I don't believe you will now. I trust you, Spider-Man."

Wow. 

Peter was surprised at how much those last few words in particular meant to him. Yuri was normally one to leave out sentimentality, so he always got the sense that, if she ever said something nice to him, it was of the highest order of compliments, and now he knew that to be true. He finally spoke up again:

"The same goes for you Yuri. I know you've sacrificed a lot and gone against what you've been taught in order to work with me. Just know that I don't take that for granted." 

"Captain Stacy believed that the city was better off with you and him working together," she said, "and I believe the same is true with us. Alright, I gotta get back. Stay in touch."

"Always," Peter said before hanging up. The timer that he had set on his phone went off, indicating that the cure was done. He ran and grabbed it, forming a small but tight web loop to hold it in place while he went back to check on his friends's progress. 

"Don't worry doc," he said softly as he strapped the container with the cure in place. "I'm going to get you back, for good this time." 

\---

Peter punched in the pass code, granting access into the underground lab once more. 

"Hey man!" Ned said in greeting as Peter strode up to him and M.J. "I think we just about cracked the code on this. Should be ready here anytime soon." 

"Okay, great," Peter responded. "Good work."

"Did you expect anything less?" M.J. questioned. She didn't even turn away from the work, but Peter could just sense her deadpan expression even through her words. 

"Nope," he responded. He then looked over to see that Bucky was sitting up, awake and alert. 

"Hey man," he said, walking over to the man. "How ya feeling?" 

"Like I got stabbed with a sword," Bucky said. "So, you know, just like a normal day." 

"Alright, just take it easy for a little bit," Peter responded. 

"No way man," Bucky retorted, slowly getting to his feet. "You and I got some..."

The former Winter Soldier buckled almost as soon as he tried to take a step, his arm and knee bracing him against the floor. 

"Woah slow up man," Peter said, coming down to the side of his ally. "You're healing still. You were basically run completely through; even with your enhancements, it's going to take some time before you're in shape to move around properly, much less fight." 

"I can manage," the man tried to offer. 

"Really, because I'm not too convinced," Happy interjected from behind them. 

"Peter's right," May added from her spot. "Take it from someone who's hating every second of this too: you need to rest." 

Bucky reluctantly agreed, with Peter helping him back to his seat. 

"Don't worry man," Peter said. "We're gonna figure this out."

Ned and M.J. then came over. "Alright, this should do it," the former said, handing Peter a web fluid vial's worth of the special web formula. 

"The bad news though is that it doesn't hold nearly as much as it would of your normal web fluid due to it's greater thickness even in storage," M.J. added. "You'll really only have one, maybe two good shots at getting enough to cover Sandman entirely." 

"That'll have to be all I need," Peter said, attaching the vial with his other web fluid containers. 

"Is that the cure?" Happy asked. Peter glanced over to see the man pointing at the container on his hip. 

"Yep," Peter affirmed. "This little storage unit it's in can also pump it even through his thick skin, so I'm good to go on both fronts now. I'm gonna head out to see if I can pick up any of their trail and prevent them from surprising me this time." 

"Any more ideas on what you're going to do about the others?" M.J. asked. 

"Try and play their egos and their abilities against each other," Peter said. "Other than that, the environment I find myself in at the time will determine the rest." 

"Are you sure about this?" Bucky asked. "They didn't seem to break too much of a sweat when it was both of us out there." 

Peter hesitated for a moment, not looking at anyone in the room in particular as he gathered his thoughts. 

"The only thing I'm certain of is that I have to try," he finally responded. 

"Alright then," Bucky said. "As soon as I can even walk again though, I'm heading out there too." 

Peter walked up to his friend and ally. "You really are stubborn, aren't you?" 

"Always have been," Bucky answered without hesitation, smiling as he did. He then extended a hand, with Peter accepting his offer to shake it. He then said his goodbyes to the others once more before heading out. He couldn't afford to spend too much time lingering.

He had a Sinister Six to round up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it, and I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! 
> 
> Continuing to pray for all you guys. Stay as safe and healthy as you can. 
> 
> "Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you," Psalm 55:22-23


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Running a small band like that, powerful as they were, still seemed too small for Osborn's towering ambition, which was likely only magnified by the serum he took. No, there had to be more to the plan; there was no way the Six were the Goblin's endgame. The problem was, there were no clues evident that had shown what that might be. 
> 
> Peter was suddenly brought out by the loud, powerful feeling of his spider-sense going absolutely crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter takes on the Sinister Six once more...by himself.

As Peter swung through the Manhattan night, the city seemed....quiet. By now, he'd been the last hour scouring the city, looking for any sign of the six, but there was nothing. A nervous, uneasy feeling began to settle in his stomach. If anything screamed calm before the storm, this was it. It was crazy to think that all this had happened so fast. He'd gotten that letter just a couple of days ago...or was it three? Everything was starting to run together, especially since the Goblin and the other villains hadn't even been back in the city a full day yet. 

Peter released the web he was swinging from, landing gracefully on a rooftop. Crouching down, he looked out over the city, his mind venturing. He thought back to everything the Goblin had done since he broke out...which was just one random attack on Times Square. That was it, at least that he knew about. While he initially just believed Osborn wanted to kill him in the place where his greatest failure was, and maybe that had been true, but could he have wanted something else that was there? Peter hadn't exactly had a chance to see if they made away with anything, seeing as how he was too busy planning his own escape. 

With the help of the Six, the Goblin had more than enough power to take over Manhattan, especially the currently fragile criminal element. Peter and Yuri had rounded up most of the criminals that belonged to the various groups that the Goblin controlled, wanting to contain things before a gang war could start without any real leadership in place to head it up. This left only some scattered individuals going about things in an overall disorganized manner, with every men or few men fending for themselves. Had the Goblin planned for this, turning to super villains over common criminals? Running a small band like that, powerful as they were, still seemed too small for Osborn's towering ambition, which was likely only magnified by the serum he took. No, there had to be more to the plan; there was no way the Six were the Goblin's endgame. The problem was, there were no clues evident that had shown what that might be. 

Peter was suddenly brought out by the loud, powerful feeling of his spider-sense going absolutely crazy. He barely jumped out of the way as several explosions went off just behind him, the impact from them sending him flying even with the advanced warning. He fired a web, but a razor bat cut it instantly. Fortunately, there was another lower level rooftop not too far below him. He landed on it, his momentum leading him to do a quick somersault for spinning around to finally see the threat. Sure enough, the familiar set of villains he was looking for came flying (or in some cases, riding) in. They quickly surrounded him, boxing him in. 

"Hey guys, I was just looking for you actually!" Peter remarked, trying to be casual despite the fear rising within him. "I was hoping we could talk some things out, ya know? Maybe start a new leaf?"

This was met by laugh from the Goblin, who was directly ahead of him. 

"Oh Spider-Man," he said, "ever the jester until the end. Don't worry; you've earned enough of my respect for me to make this quick." 

With that, Kraven and Lizard rushed Peter from his right side. He managed to dodge their initial attacks, but while he was blocking a move from the former, the latter wrapped him up in his tail, throwing him like a rag doll. Peter's vision then went black for a moment as a grip covered his eyes. Next thing he knew, he was being slammed into the ground repeatedly. He was then released from who he saw to be Sandman, being tossed over to the Rhino. He felt like he was in the world's strangest game of hot potato...and he was the potato. 

Rhino held him out with a similar grip on the head to what Sandman had, but at least his eyes weren't covered this time. The Russian drew his fist back to deliver a powerful punch. As the fist suddenly launched forward to him, Peter swung his legs up, wrapping them around the forthcoming arm and managing to slip out from the grasp on his head. Sliding underneath Rhino, he kicked his backside, sending him flying toward the center of the roof. 

It didn't take long for the next assault however, as the Goblin came flying in, wrapping Peter in some kind of titanium roping and yanking him up as he rode skyward. His arms bound to his sides, Peter struggled to get free as the Goblin circled back around to the building they had been on, releasing the grip and sending Peter back toward the villains. He managed to spring off of Kraven's head, but was grabbed by the Sandman again, whom he received a hard blow to the head from a fist that felt like concrete. Struggling to get up, Peter then felt a hard kick to his right side by Rhino, then another hit by...someone else. He couldn't tell anymore, so many hits were coming at once as he laid there, bound and helpless. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity that was likely less than 30 seconds, the beating stopped. Peter laid there, groaning in pain. He was then picked up by the Rhino, once more in a head grip. Slowly he was raised from the rooftop, dangling just above it as the villains surrounded him, the Goblin being immediately in the front. 

"I must confess, I have thought of this moment every day since you left me to rot at Sea," the Goblin said, a razor blade in his hand. "Yet, somehow, it feels somewhat anticlimactic."

Peter's mind was practically spinning as he was trying to think of some kind of plan, any plan. His muscles ached and his whole body hurt from the brief yet powerful assault he had just received. A couple of bones might even be broken or fractured somewhere; he couldn't really say. But he couldn't give up. 

"However, I realized something after our second encounter in the Square," the Goblin continued, holding the blade up to Peter's neck. "As much as I wanted to kill you in the grandest way possible, I have other goals...goals that I'm not willing to sacrifice just for little old you. All that to say, farewell, my dear arachnid. You were truly a worthy adversary."

Peter was running out of time as the Goblin drew his blade back. Doing the only thing he could think of, he kicked the Goblin straight towards the others, knocking him free. At least playing opossum had worked to some degree. Summoning every ounce of strength he could, he finally managed to break free of the bonds on his arms. Immediately, he reached back, webbing Rhino in the face, causing the brute to release his grip on his head. Taking the opportunity while the villains were somewhat distracted, he quickly took out the vial containing the coagulant, quickly inserting it into his left wrist. He also glanced to his side to see that, somehow, the device to inject Connors with the cure was somehow still intact. 

Maybe some degree of luck was on his side after all. 

Ignoring as best he could all the pain his body was feeling, he moved on the attack as the villains tried to gather themselves. He moved towards the Sandman first, leaping over the swipe of his fist. He aimed and fired the coagulant while overhead, landing on the other side. 

"What did you do to me!?" Sandman cried out as his body began to harden, and mere seconds later, he was just a statue of a man. 

There was no time to rest though; as the Goblin moved against him, razor blade still in hand. Peter bent back, the swing of the blade coming within an inch of his nose. On the second swing, he grabbed the Goblin by his arm, swinging him around and throwing him over to the Lizard, sending both of them crashing against the roof. Just then, Peter noticed Rhino had freed the webbing from his face. 

"Come on Aleksei, you're slacking!" Peter taunted. "What's the matter, getting tired already?" 

"Oh no," the man said. "I still have plenty of energy to squash you!" The man then charged towards Peter, but he deftly avoided him, flipping over his head with ease. Okay, not with ease necessarily, as every major move he made hurt across his body, but it still came pretty naturally at least. 

"What's the matter with you guys?" Peter challenged. "Six of you...well, now five...and you STILL can't get me? I thought you all were better than this?" 

His taunts seemed to hit home, as Kraven charged him while Rhino was preparing for another assault. 

"No!" the Goblin could be heard yelling. "Stick with the plan!" Thankfully, whatever the plan was, the group as a whole seemed to abandon it. Peter kept clear of each of attacks from Rhino, Kraven and the Lizard, goading them more and more. He was determined to keep their attention off the Goblin's loud shouting and on him. As long as they were focused on him and not their leader, he had the advantage. 

Finally, he saw a rare opportunity as Kraven opened himself up with an errant swing of his blade. Seizing the opportunity, he launched his fist forward, landing a direct hit on the left side of the Russian hunter's face. The man went flying, collapsing on the other side of the roof, unconscious. 

Two down, four to go. 

This time, it was the Vulture launching an attack, stabbing at Peter with his wings. The man must've made some improvements to them, as Peter noticed they seem to move with even deadlier efficiency than before. However, it didn't take him too long to find an opening, and he kicked Toomes back. The Rhino then charged him once more, but Peter leapt back, sticking a couple webs to him as he did. Before his feet were even back on the roof, he tapped the spider symbol on his chest, sending electricity surging along the web and into the armor of his enemy. The man yelled out in pain, but it was likely going to be a temporary solution. He didn't have time to think about that though, as the Lizard came springing after him once more, slashing relentlessly. Peter barely stayed ahead of his claws, and managed to catch him by the tail this time, swinging him towards the Goblin, who leapt out of the way. 

Thankfully, the tail actually stayed on this time. 

The Goblin and Vulture then launched a dual assault on him. Relying completely on his spider-sense and reflexes, he managed to avoid their attacks, but they gave him no openings, maintaining their roles as the aggressors. Out of the corner of his eye though, Peter spotted Rhino finally recovering from the electricity. 

"Are you a glutton for punishment, Aleksei?" Peter said, managing a look in his direction. "You want some more?" 

"This time, I will be the one bringing the pain!" the brute cried out, which was exactly what Peter had hoped for. The man then charged towards them. The Goblin appeared to notice, jumping out of the way, but the Vulture was knocked back by the Rhino colliding into his winged suit. As he approached, Peter rolled onto his back. Rhino reached towards him, but Peter kicked into the man's midsection, sending him flying up into the air. Leaping up with him, he fired two webs, latching them onto his enemy. He then flipped around in the air, flipping Rhino over him as well, and released the web, sending him plunging several stories toward the ground below, making a crater as he landed face first on the pavement. Though the man laid there, motionless, experience had taught Peter that it took that much just to knock Rhino out, so he knew not to worry. 

As he landed on the roof, he was surprised to see the Goblin and the Vulture flying off, retreating. However, he still had the Lizard to deal with, the former doctor snarling at him. He hated the thought of letting the other two go, especially the Goblin, but the doc needed him, even if he couldn't understand that right now. 

"Doc," Peter said, removing the antiserum from his hip, "this will make you better, I promise. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

The Lizard answered his question by lunging at him. 

"Guess it's the hard way," Peter said as he jumped back. He moved about, constantly on his toes, looking for an opening as the Lizard attacked relentlessly. He knew he couldn't take any chances with the cure, or at least one that wasn't calculated. He needed the absolute best opportunity, as he had waited for the first time. Finally, that moment came when the Lizard turned to take a swipe at him with his tail. Instead of leaping over it or jumping out of the way, Peter instead hopped onto the back of his enemy, shoving the device into the creature's neck. The cure went in almost immediately, but the Lizard managed to grab him, throwing him to the roof hard. 

Peter groaned as the Lizard staggered over him, his right hand raised as if he was about to deliver the killing blow. However, the creature let out a loud screech as the cure began its work. Soon, the scales fell off, the Doc's skin returned to it's normal tone, and the tail disappeared. Peter caught the man as he fell backwards, unconscious, before resting him against the rooftop. 

As the adrenaline faded from him, the hurt that Peter was feeling increased significantly, causing him to almost double over. He managed to brace himself on his knees and and forearms, catching his breath. While he was upset that the Goblin had got away again, he was grateful for the reprieve. Still, there was work to be done. He tapped the side of his mask, dialing Yuri. 

"We are getting reports of some particularly loud disturbances and some explosions," she said in an almost matter of fact manner. 

"Yeah, that was me," Peter admitted. "Sandman, Rhino and Kraven are down, and the Lizard is cured. I'll have the first three gift wrapped for you by the time you all get here; I need to get the other one to get checked out."

"What about you?" Yuri asked, friendly concern in her voice. "Are you okay?" 

"I'm hurting pretty much everywhere, but I'll make it," Peter replied. "The Goblin and the Vulture got away, so we still have some unfinished business."

"We'll get there," Yuri replied. "For now, you've given us a fighting chance. Myself and some others will be out there shortly." 

"Copy that, thanks Yuri," Peter replied before hanging up. He then moved to take care of wrapping up Rhino and Kraven, encasing both of them in the appropriate level of webbing that would hold them until they could get to more secure containment. He then went back up to the doc, noticing the collar that fit tightly around the Lizard's neck was now loose around the neck of the man himself. Peter reached for it, and when his spider-sense didn't alert him to anything bad, he managed to pull the collar in two, tossing it's remains aside. 

Taking out his phone, Peter scrolled through his contacts, looking for a particular name. He would have to let M.J, May and the others know he was alright, but first, he had another more important call to make. 

"Peter?" Mrs. Connors answered, her voice sounding nervous. "W-what happened? Is Curt okay?" 

"It's alright, Mrs. Connors," Peter said, glancing down at the doc's unconscious form. "He's back to his normal self once more." 

The woman then let out what sounded like a sob of relief over the phone. "Thank you," she managed to say. 

"Look, I still have some work to do, so I need you to meet me so I can pass him along to you," Peter said. "Like I said, he's back to his normal self, but I'd still feel better if he got checked out again at the Compound, just to be safe." 

"Yes, of course," the woman replied. They then set up a meeting point. 

"Peter," she said, "we...my family is indebted to you yet again. Thank you for bringing Curt back to me and Billy." 

"Of course," Peter replied. "I'll see you soon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this chapter up! Best guess is I have around 4-5 chapters yet to go, maybe it a little more or less either way. Almost there! 
> 
> In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed it. Thanks to those who have stuck around as I've had longer than delays than normal in posting a lot of these chapters. Your support is appreciated! 
> 
> Continuing to pray for each of you! Stay safe and healthy out there. 
> 
> "Create in me a pure heart..." Psalm 51


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now more than ever, Adrian knew that he would need to do something soon if he was going to have any shot at saving his daughter. Not only was he unable to beat the Goblin in any kind of direct fight, but now he knew his benefactor couldn't be trusted to look after the interests of those around him, as he would clearly cast them aside as soon as they became the slightest inconvenience to him. He was going to need help somehow, but he couldn't exactly just up and leave to get it. He needed to wait for the right opportunity...whatever that was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Adrian and Peter both mull over choices they have to make.

As they flew over the city, the battle now long behind them, Adrian had to admit he was a bit confused. After all, he, the Goblin and that Lizard creature still had the numbers advantage on Spider-Man, and his leader had made it very clear that their goal was to exterminate the kid this time. Yet, here they were, deserting the other members of their group. Adrian had no love for any of them, having spent most of his time not in battle avoiding them whenever possible. Still, he had always believed in teamwork and sticking together, so the notion of abandoning them troubled him still. 

"I don't understand," he finally worked up the courage to ask through their communication link, "why are we running? We still had him outnumbered back there." 

"Indeed," the Goblin replied. Surprisingly, there was no malice or anger in his voice even as he continued: "However, there are other pieces to this puzzle that I must put together if my goal is to be realized. The tide had turned in our fight; best to cut our losses in order to fight another day." 

Part of that last line stuck in Adrian's head: "Best to cut our losses." They continued flying in silence, but his mind was far from it as it continued dwelling on the Goblin's words. From the very beginning, he could already tell that his "boss" cared about no one accept himself. That much was obvious, but what Adrian hadn't realized was how quickly the Goblin was willing to cut loose anyone who was holding him back, dragging him down, or who he simply believed had failed him. Rhino, Sandman, the others...they had all been expendable. 

Adrian was not a man to be easily intimidated or frightened, but this thought terrified him. For all he knew, he could be next on the chopping block the minute he failed to live up to the Goblin's expectations or do what he wanted. Worse still, however, was the thought of Liz being potentially brought into the picture. If there was one thing that would be worse than death itself for him, it would be seeing his daughter die at this madman's hands instead, while he could do nothing to stop it. The Goblin surely knew this too; he remembered the look on his face as he tortured the Rhino back at their base. He remembered the wicked, devilish grin that spread from cheek to cheek as he watched what was likely thousands of volts of electricity flow through the Russian's armor, trapping him in a constant state of terrible pain. Adrian had worked with and encountered some nasty people back in his days as an arms dealer, but the Goblin...it was easy to wonder if the devil himself was really the one behind that mask. 

Now more than ever, Adrian knew that he would need to do something soon if he was going to have any shot at saving his daughter. Not only was he unable to beat the Goblin in any kind of direct fight, but now he knew his benefactor couldn't be trusted to look after the interests of those around him, as he would clearly cast them aside as soon as they became the slightest inconvenience to him. He was going to need help somehow, but he couldn't exactly just up and leave to get it. He needed to wait for the right opportunity...whatever that was. 

Finally, they arrived back at the small warehouse that served as their base of operations. However, as Adrian descended back into the building, he saw a group of men waiting for them. Just eyeballing it, it looked like about 25-30 men there.

"Gentlemen, welcome," the Goblin called out, descending to the floor ahead of Adrian, who came down to the spot where he could offload his wing suit. "I'm afraid I have bad news: we will not have our heavy hitters after all. Fear not; we will adapt, and we will succeed." 

"What's the plan, boss?" one of the men asked him. As Adrian disengaged from his suit and descended down the stairs from the platform it rested on, he had to admit, he was curious about the plan too. He had a feeling that the more information he had, the better. 

He could see the Goblin opened his mouth to answer before pausing. The man must've been getting a call of some kind in his mask, as he tapped the side of it to answer. 

"What is it doctor?" the Goblin asked. Whatever the answer to his question was, Adrian concluded it must've pleased him greatly, as that familiar bone chilling grin spread across his face. 

"Excellent," the Goblin continued. "I knew you could do it if you were given the proper motivation, and even faster than I asked as well. Good work doctor; I will be along shortly for it." 

"That sounded important," Adrian said as he walked up to join the Goblin and the other men. 

"Indeed it was," the Goblin replied, turning to Adrian. He gave him a skeptical look that made the man's stomach queasy all of a sudden. "However, before we proceed, I must know something: are you with me?" 

"Of course," Adrian replied without hesitation, hoping for the time being that was the right answer. He was in no position to fall from the Goblin's good graces now. 

"I'm not so sure," the Goblin replied. "But I am still willing to give you the chance to prove it. You see, my dear bird of prey, things are about to change. Even without the others, this city will soon belong to me. I am about to enact a swift and terrible plan that will cause it to fall into chaos, making it ripe for a takeover, and you...you could be by my side through it all. Imagine, Mr. Toomes, being at the right hand of the man in charge. Nothing in this city would be off limits for you; you could have whatever you wanted! Any place you would wish to live would be yours. It's what you've always wanted, right; to possess that which those currently in power do not deserve? To truly stick it to those who have wronged you?" 

Adrian knew that the time was now to make his choice. It was obvious that the Goblin was trying to appeal to his bitter resentment at the rich and the powerful, at those who had kicked him, as well as the people who worked for him to the curb as though they were nothing. In a way, it was as if the man knew what was going on in his head on their way back, and he was trying to make him seem like he was different. If he was honest, there was a part of him that such an idea was actually appealing to. It wasn't because he himself would be rich, but the thought of such a powerful moment of revenge against those who would cast aside those they deemed lesser would be oh so satisfying. Still...

Making up his mind as to his course of action, Adrian reached out his hand to the Goblin. 

"I'm in." 

The Goblin took his hand, shaking it firmly, smiling widely. 

"Excellent," he said through his maniacal grin, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Now, allow me to explain some things to you..."

\---

After dropping Dr. Connors off with his wife, Peter headed back down to what had become his little base of operations during this crisis. He was hurting worse than he had in a while, and he had to admit, the urging he felt in his bones to rest was quite tempting. However, he wasn't sure if he was going to get such an opportunity. Yes, four of the six had been taken care of, but the Goblin and the Vulture were still out there. As he scaled the walls of the sewers, the question he had in mind just before the big brawl came back to his mind once more: what was the Goblin's endgame? He knew Osborn, even before the serum, was one for control, and his Goblin persona only exacerbated this characteristic. Somehow, he undoubtedly was planning to take control of the criminal element of the city, but something in Peter felt there was something more in his enemy's mind this time. He just didn't know what. 

Finally, he made it back to the hideout, punching in the code and entering. He was not too surprised to find everyone fast asleep in different areas of the lab...everyone except M.J, who moved quickly toward him, throwing her arms around his neck and embracing him. Peter let out just the slightest grunt, suppressing the full extent of the impact her figure had against his damaged one. However, that was all it took for her to notice it. 

"Sorry," she said, her face very apologetic as she backed off from him quickly. "I'm sure you're not feeling the best right now." 

"It's fine," he replied. "Actually, I feel better already. Are you sure you're not magical?" Peter smiled as his girlfriend rolled her eyes at him, a smile still escaping from her own lips as well. 

"Since you're in one piece for the most part, I'm guessing this is over?" M.J. asked, changing the subject. Both of them had been keeping their voiced down thus far, so that everyone else could continue resting. 

"Not quite," Peter said, leaning against the wall closest to him. He was afraid if he sat or lied down, he wouldn't get up again anytime soon. "I took down four of them. The Goblin and Vulture are still out there though." 

"That still sounds like a pretty decent win to me," M.J. said. 

"Yeah, but...I don't know M.J, it's still bugging me how little I know about what's going on here," Peter replied. 

"Okay, wow," M.J. remarked. "Bugging? Really?" 

"Full disclosure, that was unintentional, I swear," Peter said. M.J. gave him a skeptical look with just enough of a smile that made him unsure whether she didn't believe him or had just been messing with him the whole time. Nearly a year into their relationship and she could still keep him on his toes just as well as in the beginning. 

"I do agree though," she added. "He has to want more." 

"I'm sure he wants to reassert himself as lord of the underworld, or at least New York's," Peter said, "but the pickings aren't exactly as large as when they were months ago. I just need a lead of some kind..."

Peter then felt his phone vibrating, and he grabbed it to find a call from an unknown number. 

"Must be Fury," he said to M.J. The two of them stepped back towards the exit before he answered it. 

"Hello?" he said. 

"Hey there, Pedro," came a familiar voice. "We need to talk."

Peter brow furrowed a bit in frustration at hearing the voice of Adrian Toomes again. 

"Why do we need to talk?" Peter asked. "And how did you even get this number?" 

"I don't have time to explain kid, but believe it or not, I'm on your side this time," the man explained. "Meet at the back alley behind the old theater on 5th. I have some information you might find useful." 

"I'm sorry, but I think you're trying to skip over the fact that I don't trust you, seeing as, you know, you've tried to kill me multiple times," Peter replied. "Why should I trust you now?" 

"Because there is one person that you know we BOTH care about," Adrian replied. "And if you don't help me, it could end badly for her." 

The line then went dead. 

Peter just stood there for a moment, taking in the brief conversation he just had. 

"Who was it?" M.J. asked. 

Peter turned to her. "That was Adrian Toomes." 

M.J.'s eyes went wide. "Why would he contact you?" she asked. 

"He said he has information he wants to share," Peter replied. "He wants to meet." 

"Okay," M.J. said, "I know I'm not as in the know about the whole superhero thing, but I would imagine that rule #1 is that you definitely DON'T do what the bad guy wants, right?" 

Of course, what M.J. was saying made sense; logically, that was the correct response. For all Peter knew, this could just be a trap laid by the Goblin to take him out once and for all. However, his mind kept coming back to the last thing Adrian said. 

"There is one person that you know we both care about, and if you don't help me, it could end badly for her." 

As messed up as Adrian's whole philosophy for business and life seemed to be, the one redemptive quality he had was that he loved Liz. He could still recall their conversation in the car that fateful night, where, among other things, Adrian had said that nothing is more important than family. He had to believe that, even all this time later, the man still had that outlook. 

"Peter?" M.J. said. When he looked at her, concern flooded her face. "You're not actually thinking about going, are you?" 

"He mentioned Liz," Peter replied." As terrible a person as Adrian is, I...it would go against everything he believes for him to use her against me like that." 

"Okay," M.J. said, "assuming that's true, what if he only did that because the Goblin has her, and this is just him trying to protect her by luring you into a trap?" 

That certainly wasn't out of the realm of possibility. This could just be nothing but a ruse to lure him to his death. It certainly was something he could picture the Goblin being cruel enough to do. Still...what if it wasn't? 

"I think I should go," he muttered. 

"Peter, are you crazy!?" M.J. asked, her tone frantic despite it still being a whisper. "This can't be anything good." 

"But what if it is, M.J?" he questioned. "What if this is the break I need to stop that monster? If it's not, my spider-sense will give me the heads up if I'm walking into a trap, so I can always retreat in a hurry. Even so, I have to trust that Adrian knows the Goblin can't be trusted with Liz's safety." 

M.J. didn't answer right away, looking away from him. Peter searched her eyes and her other facial expressions for anything that might give him any clue about what she was thinking. All he could discern was conflict. Finally, after a short time that felt like an eternity, she finally looked back to him. 

"Alright," she said. "I don't like it, but I trust you."

Peter felt great relief inside of him at her words. M.J.'s instincts were usually pretty on point in most things, so hearing that she was deferring from them and putting her trust in his own...it was something he knew he couldn't take for granted. 

"But if that sixth sense of yours even starts to, well, sense something is off," she added, "you get out of there." 

"Promise," Peter replied. 

M.J. leaned in, giving him a gentle, soft kiss on his lips. 

"Good luck," she said. 

"I have you, don't I?" Peter retorted. Her slight annoyance was betrayed by the small smile she formed. 

"Just go, before I come up with some other way to talk you out of this," she said. 

Peter gave her another quick kiss before heading out to take what was likely the greatest risk he had yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> Continuing to pray for each and every one of you guys. Stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> "'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered: 'I tell you, not seven times, but..." Matthew 18:21-35


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I know things aren't exactly cool between us, but I wouldn't be doing this unless I felt I had no other choice," Adrian said. 
> 
> "Alright," Peter said, folding his arms across his chest. "You have the floor, er, the alley I guess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Adrian and Peter talk.

The closer Peter got to the meeting point, the more uneasy he felt. He began to ponder the possibility he was swinging to his death. What he had said to M.J. wasn't wrong regarding his spider-sense; it had bailed him out of some pretty dangerous situations before, but it could still only do so much. What if, even if he avoided the initial trap, he was still pursued and caught? He wasn't sure if he could take another all out brawl like the one he had barely earlier, as he was still hurting from that. It wasn't hurting when he swung, but that was because he was doing as little movement as possible except for what would keep his momentum going. If the Goblin had an all out assault waiting for him...

Peter kept coming back to the fact that Adrian mentioned Liz. As much as he disliked the guy, he firmly believed there was no way he would use her as a pawn in any of this. She must be getting used as a pawn in the Goblin's never ending game of chess as a means to keep Adrian in line. It had to be the only explanation why the man would suddenly be risking his own neck like this. Still, M.J. had brought up another good point as well: what if Liz was being held hostage, and Adrian called him to lure into a trap under the direct threat of her life that way? There was just so much uncertainty. 

Finally, he arrived at the place. Peter landed on the roof of the theater, holding completely still. His spider-sense wasn't picking up anything, and his other enhanced senses weren't catching any indicators of a trap either. Slowly, he walked towards the backside of the building, looking down in to the dark alley below. Sure enough, there was Adrian, seemingly alone. Peter bent over the edge of the building, groaning slightly at the pain that was still in his body. He began his descent down the side of the building, crawling slowly and silently. He scanned the area around him for any signs of...well, anything that looked off or would give away a trap. Still, there was nothing. 

He crept up until he was just a little behind the man at an angle. Adrian, who had been pacing, suddenly froze. He turned his head slightly, looking back before turning the rest of his body. 

"Hello Adrian," Peter said. 

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming," Adrian said, walking up to Peter, who gently lowered his legs down first before releasing the grip of his fingers from the wall once he could stand upright again. 

"Yeah, well, I guess I figured I'd give my once upon a time prom date's psycho of a dad at least ONE more chance," Peter said. "But I'll tell you right now: you'd better be awfully convincing. If you're not, I'm taking you straight to the police as soon as we're done."

"I know things aren't exactly cool between us, but I wouldn't be doing this unless I felt I had no other choice," Adrian said. 

"Alright," Peter said, folding his arms across his chest. "You have the floor, er, the alley I guess." 

Adrian didn't waste any time. 

"That nut job has got something much bigger planned than anything you've seen yet," he began. "He's got a small group of guys together, and soon, they're going to attack Ryker's to break out all the guys you put away that were part of the gangs he took over." 

"How does he expect to do that?" Peter questioned. "It would take an army to get past the guards and other security measures Ryker's has."

"Not when you have a man on the inside," Adrian explained. "He's got some guy who can disguise himself as anyone who will be impersonating one of the guards. He's going to disable the security protocols, so only the men themselves are left. That's not even the worst part though."

"Oh, great," Peter said. 

"He had some scientist working on some serum that will give them enhanced strength and speed," Adrian continued. "Not quite as much as him, but still much more than normal. He's planning to distribute it as a gas through the vents so that it will infiltrate the areas where the prisoners are being kept." 

Peter's eyes went wide at this information. Forget how powerful the Six were, if the Goblin had a literal army of enhanced criminals....

"Not long before I left, he flew out to get the serum or whatever, so we don't have a lot of time," Adrian said. 

"There's still something that doesn't add up," Peter said, "what does Liz have to do with this?"

"The Goblin is holding her hostage, but he won't tell me where or show her to me," Adrian explained. 

"I'm surprised you would take such a huge risk like this if that were true," Peter said. Indeed, this was a foolish move from what he knew so far. He would think it would be better to go along with the Goblin's plan for now. No risk to her that way. 

"I don't trust that megalomaniac," Adrian said. "I've seen how he treats his followers. He abandoned the others when things weren't going his way, cutting them loose like they're nothing. I can't trust Liz's life in his hands." 

That sounded just like Osborn, even before he became the Goblin: always willing to throw anyone under the bus when necessary. There was no one he wouldn't sacrifice in order to achieve his goals. 

"Are you convinced yet?" Adrian said, his face very tense. "Like I said, we don't have a lot of time. The Goblin will be back any minute." 

"There's still one more thing," Peter replied, "assuming Liz is held hostage, how do I know the Goblin isn't just using her to make even this little meeting part of his plan?" Most of what Adrian had said was tracking so far, but it still seemed a foolish move on the man's part to take such a huge risk against his daughter's life by defying the one who held it in the balance. 

"I didn't see any other way," Adrian said. 

"Oh yeah?" Peter said, ripping off his mask and stepping right up to Adrian. "Just like when you didn't have a choice when you became a career criminal? Just like you didn't have a choice to stop making weapons that were being used to destroy innocent people!?"

"This is different!" Adrian yelled back. "My daughter's life is in imminent danger. She's been held hostage since even before I got out! Every minute, every second since I got out of that hold, I have been wondering if he's even keeping her life; if she's not dying slowly somewhere, starving, thirsty, I..."

The man's face suddenly went from angry to somber, and it was a moment before he continued. 

"I know I messed up, Peter," he said. "My decisions have led to this, and I know that you have no real reason to trust me. But the simple fact is I don't trust the Goblin with my little girl's life. As soon as I mess up, as soon as you or someone else takes me down, her life is over. I believe that, Peter. I guess...I guess I'm just hoping you will too." 

Peter searched the man's eyes and his face, looking for any signs that this was all a facade. Maybe he was actually expecting one, or maybe he just wanted to find one, but there was nothing. His eyelids didn't wiggle, his heartbeat was steady...and really, the more he thought about it, the more this checked out. Perhaps more than anyone, Peter had seen how treacherous the Goblin could be. There was no life precious to that monster but his own. He wasn't surprised that Adrian had finally figured this out for himself. There was always the chance that somehow, everything he was reading about the man right now could be wrong, and this could be a trap, but as far as he could tell, there was no lie in Adrian's words. The actions the man was taking were drastic, sure, but they were the actions of a man who was trying to save his daughter. Peter just hoped they weren't too late. 

He slipped on his mask, tapping the dial button on the side. 

"You have something?" Yuri asked. 

Peter looked towards Adrian before responding. 

"I have everything." He then explained everything as Adrian had told it to him, condensing where he could for the sake of time. His new ally even gave him the building where they all were currently. 

"Okay, as much as I'd like to believe we have that psychopath's grand plan all figured out, how exactly did you come by all of this?" Yuri questioned. 

"I have my sources," Peter said. 

"I know I've taken your word for a lot before, but it's not gonna be enough this time," Yuri said. "You're asking me to try and convince our interim captain to conduct a raid, quite possibly risking a lot of good cops' lives, or just wasting their time, on just 'your sources'?" 

Peter hesitated, trying to figure out what to say next. He settled on something that was at least true, if it still wasn't very specific. 

"I have someone on the inside," he said. "They have personal reasons for seeing the Goblin taken down, and no, it's not just so they can take his place." Peter knew that last part was true. Adrian Toomes was a criminal, for sure, but he was never one to want to rule the city. The man had simply wanted to conduct his business and go home to his wife and daughter every night. 

"I'm still not sure," Yuri said. 

"Yuri," Peter said, his voice more assertive now, "this is our chance to put this guy away for good. We can catch not only him, but all his accomplices as well. We can make sure he stays locked up this time. We can end this nightmare once and for all. I understand how it looks from your perspective, but this will work." 

There was a hesitancy on the line; Peter felt like he was waiting on pins and needles before Yuri finally spoke up. 

"Alright, I'll see what I can do, and I'l be in touch again as soon as I can." 

"Okay; good luck," Peter replied before hanging up. 

"Well?" Adrian asked. 

"She's convinced," Peter replied, "but now comes the hard part: convincing enough of the force to join on this little adventure. I'm still going in there even if she can't get anyone on board...but I'm really hoping she does." 

"Why wouldn't your cop friend want to take advantage of this?" Adrian asked. 

"She's taking a chance just by working with a vigilante as it is," Peter replied. "She doesn't mind risking her own neck in a situation, but I'm asking her to drag as much of the force as she can along with her, without letting on how she found out. It's not exactly the easiest position to be in." 

"Alright, alright," Adrian said, holding his hands up. "Point taken. I better get back, but before I go, there's one more thing I hope you can help me with." 

"Yeah?" Peter asked. 

"It's clear you and the Goblin have some kind of history," Adrian began, "so you seem like as good a person to ask as anyone: where do you think he'd be keeping Liz? If I can, I'd like to try and find a way out of this for her at first chance." 

Peter thought for a minute; he wasn't about to give the man some half-baked answer. This was someone's life, this was Liz's life, that was at stake here. He thought through what he knew of the Goblin. 

"Well," Peter responded, voicing his thoughts out loud, "you probably figured out by now that the Goblin is all about control. He's always pulling strings, always keeping those who work for him in check. He's used several places around the city in the past, but my guess is that he's keeping her somewhere close, some place where he can access her quickly if you were to go off and do something like, well, like this." 

"Yeah, that makes sense," Adrian said. "Alright, I better get going. If I'm gone too long, questions will be asked." 

"Alright," Peter said, "I'll be in touch with Yuri and we'll get this thing figured out so we can move as soon as possible." 

Adrian nodded, turning and walking in a hurry. 

"And Adrian?" Peter said, causing the man to turn around again. 

"Thank you, and we'll get her back." 

Adrian nodded again in response to that before promptly continuing on his way. Peter let out a breath as the man turned out of the alley. 

He still couldn't believe that he had a chance, a real shot, at truly defeating the Goblin this time. Yet, for all the the confidence that knowledge gave him, there was still uncertainty, mainly in if Yuri could get that backup or not. If he went in alone, he'd have to take out the Goblin himself in a hurry, and the man didn't exactly go down easy. 

In short, there were plenty of ways he could still mess this up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> Please, stay safe and healthy everyone. 
> 
> "Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth." Psalm 54:1-2


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrian entered the hideout, seeing many people still at work. He looked around, and his heart sunk a little when he saw the Goblin's glider in the spot that had come to be it's main perch. No worries, as long as he kept his cool and...
> 
> "Welcome back." 
> 
> Adrian stopped in his tracks, turning to see none other than the Goblin himself off to his side. He buried his nervousness deep down and strolled over confidently to meet his green and purple clad leader. He knew as soon as he gave even the slightest sign that something was off, it was over...for both him and Liz. 
> 
> "Good to be back," he replied, forcing a smile onto his face. 
> 
> "I must confess, I was surprised to hear you'd gone out," the Goblin said, walking up to meet Adrian until they were face to face. "Perhaps you'll tell me what prompted such a trip?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Yuri tries to figure out backup, and Adrian finally catches a break...if only for a moment.

"Absolutely not." 

It was the answer Yuri had practically braced herself to here, but she had still hoped for better. She had passed on everything Spider-Man had told her from his "inside source," but it didn't look like it was going to be enough. The interim captain had been pretty stingy when it came to this sort of thing, likely to play it safe in order to hopefully make his position permanent. Obviously, there was a lot of risk to something like this. 

"Captain, I'm telling you..."

"That's enough, Watanabe," the captain replied, his face twisting into a scowl. "I won't hear anymore of this outrageous idea. When you can come to me with information that can actually be verified, let me know. Until then, I am not wasting valuable resources or risking the lives of any officers here on a lead that could just be a wild goose chase!" 

The man's office phone then rang, and he excused himself to answer it, waving a dismissive hand in Yuri's direction. She turned and exited the office, walking into break room of the precinct. She bypassed the coffee she would usually get, walking to the window instead. She looked out to the city, the place that had been her home for most of her life. Here it was, on the verge of likely being overrun, and all because her boss wouldn't believe her. Then again, it wasn't likely that telling the captain she got her info from Spider-Man, who got his info from someone close to the Goblin, would've gone over any better. The red and black vigilante had earned a lot of good will among the people perhaps, but the police were a different story. Many viewed him as a glory hog who tried to do their jobs for them, have the time making a much larger mess. To Yuri, this logic made no sense, simply on the grounds that many of the threats the city faced were things they simply weren't equipped to handle. Spider-Man was the only thing keeping them even in the playing field against the likes of the Rhino, Sandman, and especially the Green Goblin. 

Yuri sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingers. 

"Sounds like you had quite a blowout with the captain," one of her fellow officers spoke up from behind her. Slightly annoyed, Yuri turned to face the man. She didn't remember his name, but she knew he'd been around for longer than her...long enough to remember when they had good leadership. 

"Just missing Captain Stacy right now," she replied, walking over to her fellow officer, who was sipping from the coffee in his hand. 

"Yeah," the man said, "he was a good one. Man, what I wouldn't give to take a shot at that Goblin character right now. Hopefully Spider-Man can get a good one in for us." 

Yuri looked at the man intently as he sipped more of his coffee, thoughts beginning to churn in her mind. Daring to move forward with them, she asked the man a question. 

"What if I told you you could help him do that?" 

The man lowered his drink, his eyes trained on Yuri with a highly skeptical look. 

"What do you mean?" he asked. 

Yuri swallowed the bit of nerves she had and proceeded. 

"I have information regarding a potential location for the Goblin, as well as what he has planned," she said. 

To her surprise, her fellow officer's expression switched from skepticism to intrigue. 

"Let me guess, our latest interim leader didn't think your info was good enough?" the man said. 

"Exactly," Yuri said, "but personally, I think the risk is greater if it IS accurate." 

"You have my attention," the man said. 

Yuri explained what Spider-Man had told her, laying out the essentials. 

"I know that I'm asking you to risk a lot," Yuri said, "but if we could get a group of officers together, I think we have a shot at ending this once and for all."

"I'm in," the man responded without hesitation, catching Yuri off guard. She'd expected some further skepticism on the man's part. 

"Really? Just like that?" she asked. 

"Watanabe, everyone here who knew Captain Stacy knew that he trusted you perhaps more than anybody else here," the man replied. "If your word was good enough for him, it's good enough for me. Besides, a lot of our fellow officers feel the same way about both our former and current leadership. What are they going to do, fire all of us?" 

Yuri then did something she rarely did; she smiled, even if it only lasted for a moment. 

"Okay, get as many officers as you can and meet me on the roof," she said authoritatively. "We're going to end this, tonight." 

"Yes ma'am," the officer replied before heading out of the room. His words were not laced with mockery or misogyny, but respect. It made Yuri feel just a hint of pride inside that she seemed to be having such an impact, but she quickly put that feeling aside. Now was not the time to indulge herself like that. She took out the device she used to contact Spider-Man, putting it to her ear and tapping it. 

It only took a few seconds for him to answer. 

"Any luck?" he asked. 

"Hopefully just enough," she replied. 

\---

Adrian entered the hideout, seeing many people still at work. He looked around, and his heart sunk a little when he saw the Goblin's glider in the spot that had come to be it's main perch. No worries, as long as he kept his cool and...

"Welcome back." 

Adrian stopped in his tracks, turning to see none other than the Goblin himself off to his side. He buried his nervousness deep down and strolled over confidently to meet his green and purple clad leader. He knew as soon as he gave even the slightest sign that something was off, it was over...for both him and Liz. 

"Good to be back," he replied, forcing a smile onto his face. 

"I must confess, I was surprised to hear you'd gone out," the Goblin said, walking up to meet Adrian until they were face to face. "Perhaps you'll tell me what prompted such a trip?"

"Just looking at which penthouse I would like for myself," he replied, coolly using the excuse he'd come up with on the way back. "After all, I figure once this city is ours, I'll have my pick of the litter, if you will." 

The Goblin let out one of his sinister sounding chuckles at this, putting Adrian into a state of unease. 

"Looks like you're getting it after all," the Goblin finally responded, placing his gloved hand on Adrian's shoulder. Though the gesture sent a momentary shiver down his spine, he was overall relieved that the Goblin seemed to be buying it. 

"It's like you said earlier: we'll take what belongs to us," Adrian said. "Speaking of which, you were right when you said there was work to be done. I've had a couple adjustments I've been wanting to make to my wingsuit before we put the plan in motion. I suppose I should get to it." 

"That's the spirit," the Goblin replied enthusiastically. 

Adrian then walked away, hoping he wasn't moving too quickly. The Goblin never said anything else, so he was likely in the clear...for now. 

As he strode up to his wing suit, he thought back to what Peter had talked about; how the Goblin was all about control, and how he was therefore likely keeping Liz somewhere close by. It made sense; as soon as the Goblin found out he stepped out of line, there was no doubt in his mind that the psychopath would drag his daughter out in front of him, if she was still alive, and kill her right in front of him. The Goblin seemed to relish in such cruelty. 

He really did have some ideas to improve his mechanical wings, but Adrian's work quickly became a cover for utilizing his higher vantage point to survey the building. He only took the occasional glance in order to not raise suspicion, but he looked for anything he could find when he had the chance; anything at all that would lead to Liz's potential location. Then, after some time, he saw it: an escape hatch in the floor just beneath the table in the center of the building. 

Adrian immediately chastised himself; how had he not seen that before? However, when he thought about it, he knew exactly why: it was always the place where the Goblin made sure to hold their attention. Plus, it was where all the other villains had frequently congregated even when the Goblin wasn't there, and he'd always taken lengths to avoid them unless they were taking care of something together. 

The more he thought about it, the more he began to question if even those little things were just the Goblin pulling his strings based on anticipating how he'd react to his situation. 

Adrian knew he needed to act on this discovery, and soon. It would be daylight soon, so if Spider-Man was going to arrive with his police reinforcements, it was likely to be sometime in the near future. The chaos of a raid might be the perfect time to sneak in and investigate the matter. Still, he knew he had to consider the possibility of Spider-Man being the only one. The Goblin was likely to be the only one to deal with that distraction, and while that certainly was important, there were too many others who were likely to catch him sneaking. He needed to consider his options carefully. 

After all, he likely only had one chance at this.

\---

His chance came sooner than he thought. 

It happened in an instant: several officers stormed the building at once from two sides, catching the still hard at work group of minions off guard. In the chaos, Adrian hadn't even seen Spider-Man enter, but then he looked up to see that he was already locked in combat with the Goblin. In short, it was the perfect opportunity. 

After recovering from the suddenness of it all, Adrian practically sprinted down the stairs from his wing suit's perch. He carefully selected his path through the mess of a scene. It was mostly hand to hand fighting going on now rather than gunfire, as the opposing sides had quickly closed the gap on each other. He maneuvered through the crowd, working his way to the table. He quickly slid underneath, unlocking the hatch with relative ease, sliding his way down and closing it back over him. 

What he found surprised him: there was a row of rooms through a small hallway, almost like a prison or even an asylum, though he figured it could just as well be a bunch of storage units. Shaking off his questions of why something like this was even here, he quickly scoured the rooms, peering through the small windows in each one. After a few tries, he looked through the middle room on the right side, and there she was: Liz, his daughter, his gumdrop, the only thing he had left in the world that mattered. She was lying on the floor, chained to the wall. 

He tried opening the door, but it was locked. Adrian wasn't about to let something so simple stand in his way now though; he backed up before summoning as powerful a kick as he could, shooting the door wide open. As he stepped inside, his daughter shot up from her previously lying position, and he got a better look at her: she was much thinner than normal, especially her face, and she was chained to the wall by her wrists. Her eyes, though weak, looked as though they were on the verge of tears when she saw him. 

"Dad?" she muttered. 

Adrian ran over to her, coming down and throwing his arms around her, holding her close. For a moment, he just held her, allowing her to sob over what had undoubtedly been a traumatic experience. After a few moments though, he pulled away, his hands still gripping her arms gently. 

"Are you okay?" he asked. 

"I...I think so," Liz stammered. 

"I'm going to get you out of here," he said, looking his daughter in they eyes. "Don't worry, you'll be free soon." 

Liz simply nodded in response. Adrian then looked around; the place was a mess, but after a moment, he found an old paper clip lying on the floor. Remembering what some of the inmates in the Raft had taught him about using such a thing to undo a lock, he quickly went to work on the one that bound the chains over his daughter's wrists. He bent and fiddled with it until he had it just right. 

"What happened?" he asked her as he fiddled with the lock. 

"A man was waiting for me in my house one night," she explained, still fighting through tears. "He knocked me out, and the next thing I know I woke up here." 

"Have you had anything to eat?" he asked. 

"A little at a time," she replied, "but not much." 

"When I get you out of here," he said, "I'm going to make sure they get food from that Italian place you love so much." 

"What are you talking about?" she asked, "and what's all that noise up there?" 

Adrian hadn't even registered how loud the chaos still sounded upstairs, even as muffled as it was, until she asked. 

"Spider-Man and the police are taking care of the people who took you," he answered, still trying to concentrate on the lock. 

There was a moment of silence, but Adrian could feel his daughter's gaze on him. 

"They wanted you, didn't they?" she asked. "They wanted the Vulture." 

Adrian paused his work for a moment, letting out a sigh. 

"Sweetheart," he began, but she interrupted him before he could continue. 

"Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I know we've talked about all that already." 

Adrian put a hand to his daughter's cheek. 

"Liz," he said, "all that matters right now is that you're safe." 

His daughter nodded, offering a weak but still genuine smile. Their relationship had been a rocky one ever since his arrest and incarceration. For a long time, she had been so angry towards him, even refusing to see him for a while. It was only over the last year or so that their relationship was finally beginning to mend. 

Finally, he unlocked the chains, quickly freeing her from her bonds. 

"Can you walk?" he asked her. 

"I think so," she said, slowly getting to her feet, "probably not very fast though." 

"Okay, we'll take our time," he said, helping his daughter to her feet and putting her arm over his shoulders. "There has to be a back way out of..."

No sooner had Adrian turned around than he saw two men standing in the door way. One of them put a hand to his ear. 

"We found the traitor sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, has it really been almost a month since I updated this? 
> 
> For some reason, I have just been struggling to finish this story. Maybe it's because it's the climax of a series, maybe it's simple lack of motivation, or some combination there of, but the bottom line is that I'm having a hard time with the finish here. My mind is moving on to other projects, but I want to finish this before I do, and I want to do it the best I can. At this point, I doubt it'll live up to the expectations I once had for it, but I digress. 
> 
> Likely only 2, maybe 3 chapters to go at the most. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has supported this story. I continue to pray for you guys; stay healthy and safe in this crazy world! 
> 
> "And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord..." Philippians 1:12-14


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter had finally wrestled the Goblin and pinned him down when Yuri's voice came through his mask. 
> 
> "Spider-Man, we found Adrian and his daughter," she said. "We're trying to get EMTs down here, he's been shot." 
> 
> "What?" Peter replied. 
> 
> That one moment of distraction was all the Goblin needed. He forced Peter off of him before hopping on his glider...the one thing Peter didn't want to happen. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the Goblin's arms and chest. 
> 
> "Shall we go for a ride?" the Goblin asked, and Peter could just picture the dumb grin on his hideous face as they flew through a window out of the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter takes on the Goblin one more time, things are resolved, and a former villain makes the ultimate sacrifice.

As soon as he saw the men, Adrian's mind went into overdrive. He couldn't give up now; not with his daughter's life potentially hanging in the balance. He glanced over to Liz, seeing a great fear in her eyes. His paternal instincts now more on fire than ever, he moved her off of him and gently back against the wall. 

"It's going to be okay sweetheart," he said, his voice filled with a quiet but building fire. "You hear me?" 

Liz nodded gently in response, in spite of the tears she was fighting back. 

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, old man," one of the men said. "The Goblin doesn't take well to traitors." 

"Well, I don't take well to my daughter being caged like an animal," Adrian responded, "so I guess he and I are even then." 

"That's funny," the other man said, "because now, whatever stunt you pulled to get to this point will have all been for nothing." 

Seeing no other options, and wasting no more time, Adrian lunged for the gun of the one closer to him. They struggled for it, with him constantly maneuvering so that the other man couldn't get a clear shot at him. He finally managed to disarm the man before sending a powerful kick into his stomach, sending him flying into a nearby wall. He then turned his attention to the other man, who unfortunately was further away. His heart sank however when the man glanced towards Liz. 

"This is for ruining everything for all of us, traitor," the man said, quickly turning his gun to Liz. 

"NO!" Adrian cried out. He lunged instinctively, desperately hoping he wasn't too late. 

He ended up right in front of the gun as it went off. 

Adrian barely felt how hard he slammed into the wall, the sudden hot, searing pain of a bullet in his chest taking over every other feeling in his body...except for the cry of his daughter. 

"DAD!!" 

He slumped to the ground, Liz suddenly right beside him. 

"Dad, dad it's okay, stay with me okay, stay with me," she begged him. 

"Well well well, isn't this interesting," the man said. Adrian looked up to see him raising his gun once more. "But again, all for nothing." 

Bang. 

Except this time, no bullet came from his gun. Instead, the man's expression went blank as he suddenly fell to the ground, revealing a police officer behind them. She had barely made eye contact with them before rushing toward him and his daughter. 

"I need an EMT in the basement area, now!" was the last thing Adrian heard before he faded from consciousness. 

\---

Peter had finally wrestled the Goblin and pinned him down when Yuri's voice came through his mask. 

"Spider-Man, we found Adrian and his daughter," she said. "We're trying to get EMTs down here, he's been shot." 

"What?" Peter replied. 

That one moment of distraction was all the Goblin needed. He forced Peter off of him before hopping on his glider...the one thing Peter didn't want to happen. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the Goblin's arms and chest. 

"Shall we go for a ride?" the Goblin asked, and Peter could just picture the dumb grin on his hideous face as they flew through a window out of the building. The Goblin then forced him off, but Peter shot a web, latching it onto the glider. Holding on for dear life, he struggled to advance as the Goblin flew like a maniac, purposely slinging him towards buildings, shards of glass repeatedly cutting through his suit. He couldn't give up though, not now. 

Suddenly, he had an idea. 

"Your stubbornness is almost admirable, wall crawler!" the Goblin called out. 

"Yeah well, you know, it comes with the job," Peter said, firing another web in the direction of a nearby construction site, "and so does THIS!" 

Peter held on tight to both webs, causing the glider's momentum to halt in its tracks. He then swung them down onto the empty construction area, the Goblin just hopping off his glider as it crashed back to the ground. 

"You still prove that I underestimate you sometimes," the Goblin said, drawing a razor blade in his hand. "Don't worry though, I will not do so again!" He then lunged for Peter, who leapt up over him, grabbing his enemy by the shoulders while over top of him and flipping forward, slamming him into the ground. However, the green and purple clad villain recovered surprisingly quickly, sweeping Peter's legs out from under him. In no time, he was on top of Peter, bringing down his razor bat straight towards his face. He reached up, stopping the Goblin's initial momentum with his arms, but the villain then redoubled his effort, using his other arm to push harder. Gravity fighting against him as well, Peter struggled as the blade slowly drew closer to his neck. 

"I commend you, Spider-Man," the Goblin said. "Like I wrote in my letter, you have given my life purpose. All the way to the end, you have risen to every challenge I have thrown at you. But here, at last, comes the end, where you will die knowing that, in spite of your best efforts, I will go on to take everything from you. No matter how many times I must rebuild, no matter how much I have to plan, I will..." 

Peter, having heard enough, summoned his full strength, forcing the Goblin off of him, sending his enemy flying away, landing on his back. 

"I can't believe I of all people am going to say this," Peter said, shooting a web at the Goblin's foot, "but you talk too much." He then yanked the web forward, pulling his enemy towards him. Running forward, he leapt into the air to meet the Goblin in the middle, sending a punch straight into the villain's gut and sending him crashing into a nearby pile of supplies. Refusing to let up now, Peter continued his onslaught, sending blow after blow into the Goblin. This was all a familiar feeling, as it had played out very similarly six months ago: he had beat his foe to a pulp then too. 

Except it had all been for nothing. 

That monster had still returned, and had still hurt a lot of people.

Peter's anger began to boil at this thought; the injustice of it all. Suddenly, he found his hands around the Goblin's throat, and he was squeezing. The villain struggled against his grip, but it nevertheless remained in place. He had to protect his loved ones, he had to make this monster couldn't hurt them again. May, Ned, M.J...

What was he DOING? 

Peter jerked back, shocked that he had come so close to ending a life. 

"You almost had me there," the Goblin said through his gasps of air. "For a second, I almost thought you were going to do it. But you couldn't, and you never will. That's why I'll win in the end." 

Peter turned and looked to the Goblin. He walked up to him, grabbing him by the chest of his suit. 

"No," he said. "Not today, and not ever." 

He then delivered one last striking blow straight to the Goblin's head. The villain slumped to the ground, unconscious. Peter staggered back for a moment, breathing in and out. He then turned, noticing that the sun was finally starting to rise over the city. 

He had done it. He had beat the Goblin, again. 

\---

Peter swung his way back to the warehouse, the unconscious Goblin wrapped tightly in webbing. He arrived to find Yuri supervising the mass arrest of his foe's men. 

"Brought you a gift," Peter said as he landed, laying his enemy's unconscious form on the ground. 

"Great, just what I always wanted," Yuri responded sarcastically. Some men then came and took the Goblin away, hopefully for good this time. 

Peter could only hope at least. 

"Did you get them all?" he asked. 

"Looks like it," Yuri said. "Not only that, but we managed to track down both the doctor and the master of disguise he was working with. We got them all this time." 

That brought a huge swelling of relief to Peter's mind, but sadly, it only lasted a short time, as his brain turned to another matter. 

"What about Adrian and Li...his daughter?" 

"We managed to get an EMT to them," Yuri said. "He was unconscious but still alive when he got them both onto the ambulance. I haven't heard anything further." 

"What hospital did they go to?" Peter asked. 

\---

Peter hurried over to the hospital, quickly entering the scene. Not even bothering to acknowledge how strange it was for Spider-Man to be entering the hospital, he walked right in. 

"Excuse me," he said, finding a doctor. "Has Adrian Toomes been admitted yet?" 

Peter's heart sank when the man's expression turned sad. 

"He and his daughter are here," the man said. "She's going to be fine, but he....the bullet is lodged too close to the heart. He likely doesn't have much time left. I'm sorry." 

"Where is he?" Peter asked. The man said nothing in response, but turned and went down the hall. Peter followed him, and eventually they came to room 131, which the doctor then turned into. Peter walked in behind him, seeing Adrian and Liz occupying the beds within. 

"I understand he helped you," the doctor said, drawing Peter's attention. 

"That's right." 

"I'll give you some time," he said, before taking his leave. Peter nodded in acknowledgment before turning back, walking up to Adrian, whose eyes opened. 

"Hey there Pedro." 

Peter's eyes went wide, as Liz was still awake in her bed as well. However, she didn't seem too surprised. 

"Yeah, so, I kinda told her who you were," Adrian said, his voice soft and quiet. "When she explained what happened at Homecoming, I...you saved my life that night, Peter. I didn't want her to be upset at you for doing what you felt you had to do."

Peter sighed. He checked to make sure his backside was towards the security camera in the room before raising his mask up just enough for his face to be seen. 

"I'm guessing that's exactly what got you here?" he asked. 

"It's like I said all those years ago Pete," Adrian said. "Nothing is more important than family." 

Peter looked down towards the floor for a moment. 

"At least we can agree on one thing," he replied. 

"I'm sure they told you I don't have a lot of time left..."

"Don't talk like that," Peter said. 

"Let's not kid ourselves here, Pete," Adrian said. "We both know what's coming, which is why I want you to know how sorry I am for how things between us went down. You were always a good kid, and no matter what, I always respected you." 

Peter allowed himself a smile towards his one time enemy. 

"You did the right thing in the end," he said. "You helped me save the city, so I guess I'm willing to call it even." 

Adrian let out a small chuckle before a series of coughs succeeded them. 

"Easy," Peter said. 

"Pete," the man said, his words struggling to come out more and more, "always remain true to who you are. Don't...don't start compromising." 

He then turned to face Liz, in whose eyes Peter could already see tears forming. 

"You too, gumdrop," Adrian said. "Always keep fighting, you hear me?" 

Liz nodded, and so did Peter. 

"I will," she said. 

"Good," Adrian said. "That's...that's very good...." 

The man's eyes then slowly shut, and the heart monitor went straight off. 

Peter forced himself to pull his mask over his face once more as Liz started screaming and doctors and nurses came into the room to begin trying to revive him. He quickly moved over to her to try and calm her down. 

"No, no dad!" she screamed as Peter threw his arms around her to keep her from getting out of bed and ripping the IVs out of her arm. The doctors and nurses tried and tried, but in the end, it was too late. 

Adrian Toomes was dead. 

Liz began weeping bitterly as Peter continued to hold her close. For a long time, they just stayed there like that, as tears and sobs continued. Peter had a hard time fighting back his own tears as well, which surprised him. While he didn't hate Adrian, he didn't exactly have much love for him either, but still, the man had helped him take back his city. 

The man had given his life for his daughter. There was, after all, no greater love than that. 

\---

Liz eventually settled down, basically passing out from physical and emotional exhaustion. Peter decided he would have to come check up on her later; right now he had other people he needed to check up on. He left the hospital, making his way to a nearby building and calling Happy. 

"Hey kid, we saw on the news," Happy said. "Congratulations." 

"Thanks," he said, not particularly feeling worthy of being congratulated at the moment. "How is everybody?" 

"All good here," the man replied. "Bucky was upset he missed all the action, but he'll get over it. Your friends went to school; your girlfriend said she would tell your teachers that you were taking the day off to care for your aunt in the wake of her incident."

Sounded just like M.J, always thinking ahead. 

"What about May?" Peter asked. 

"I took her home; I'm still here actually," Happy replied. "She's resting now." 

"Alright, I'm on my way," he said. He then hurriedly made his way towards his and May's apartment. He trusted Happy, but he also wanted to see May for himself. He arrived in a matter of minutes, letting himself in through his window like usual. He walked into the living room to find her resting on the couch, with Happy sitting in another seat nearby. 

"Hey," Happy greeted, getting up from his spot. "So, how does it feel to be the savior of New York yet again?" 

Peter looked away from Happy for a moment before finally being able to speak again. 

"Adrian Toomes is dead," he said. "He took a bullet to save his daughter." 

"Oh," Happy said, clearly taken aback. "I'm s...I'm sorry." 

"I guess I just don't feel like the hero right now," he said. 

"I understand," Happy said. There was a moment of awkward silence before he continued: "well, I guess I'll leave you two to your rest. Is there anything you need, kid?" 

Peter shook his head. "No Happy, I'm good. Thank you though, for watching over everybody. It really means a lot." 

"No problem kid," the man said, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder as he walked by. Peter opened the door for the man before closing it back and walking over to May. He bent down on his knees, watching for a moment as she rested peacefully. There was something incredibly reassuring about seeing her chest rise and fall, knowing how close he came to potentially losing her. 

Peter went over and took the seat Happy once occupied, not even caring that he was still in his suit. He leaned back a little, his eyes still towards May. Finally, once he allowed his mind to fully accept that she, and everyone else, was safe, he allowed his eyes close. 

It wasn't long before the events of the last few days took their toll on him and he fell fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. 
> 
> It took FOREVER to work up the inspiration and motivation to properly write this chapter. Still not 100% on what I think about it, but I'm glad it's at least finished. 
> 
> Not sure if there will be just one or two chapters more. It depends if I feel like I can get the ending/epilogue all in one or not. We'll see. 
> 
> Anyway, thank to all for their support! 
> 
> Continuing to pray for you all! Stay safe and healthy!
> 
> "Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me." Psalm 54:4


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately, as he had set out to write the speech, he only felt as though he had nothing really to say. Sure, he would give the whole "it's an honor to be standing here with you today" spiel at the beginning, but what did he have to say after that? The best speeches seemed to impart some deep wisdom or life advice, but anytime he tried to think of anything, it just came off as cliché in his mind every time. 
> 
> "Just speak from the heart," May had told him. "Just ask yourself, if you could give somebody one piece of advice before you never saw them again, what would it be?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: a graduation speech, a reconciliation, and a couple goodbyes.

Peter stared out the window of the passenger seat, his mind still processing what he was going to say today. 

"You're going to do great up there," May tried to reassure him. He didn't feel so sure. Today was a big day, and a day he wasn't always sure he was going to live to see. 

Today, he was graduating high school. 

Peter still remembered him and M.J. both getting called into the principal's office to find out that their race for the honor of valedictorian had ended in the last way either of them suspected it would: a tie. At that point, they were told between the two of them to make the choice as to who would give the speech to all the students, parents and faculty. They talked about it briefly, and he could quickly tell that she didn't especially desire the task. While M.J. had more than gotten use to talking in front of her fellow students during her Acadec captain days, giving a speech in front of a bunch of people was a completely different thing. Peter didn't especially care for the idea either, but he figured it would be more than worth it to take on the task just so she wouldn't have to. She had supported and stood by him through his greatest challenges over the last year; it was the least she deserved. 

Unfortunately, as he had set out to write the speech, he only felt as though he had nothing really to say. Sure, he would give the whole "it's an honor to be standing here with you today" spiel at the beginning, but what did he have to say after that? The best speeches seemed to impart some deep wisdom or life advice, but anytime he tried to think of anything, it just came off as cliché in his mind every time. 

"Just speak from the heart," May had told him. "Just ask yourself, if you could give somebody one piece of advice before you never saw them again, what would it be?" 

That had at least made it easier to come up with something, but now, he was questioning it. 

"Peter," May said as they came within the last few blocks of the school, "what is it?" 

"I don't know May," he said, turning his attention ahead of them. "It's just...nobody in school has been through what I've been through this year. How is what I wrote supposed to mean anything to them?" 

"Peter, trust me, people don't have to be superheroes to appreciate and take to heart what you're going to say," May reassured him. She had proofread it after all, so he knew logically he could trust her opinion on this. 

"I guess I just figured that after facing down six of my worst enemies in less than a week, this whole thing would be a walk in the park," he confessed. 

"Well, there is a reason public speaking is one of the things people are most afraid of," she said. "It just goes to show that even superheroes are just normal people deep down."

Peter smirked. May always seemed to know how to ground him. 

Moments later, they'd arrived at the school. Peter couldn't help but stare at the school that had in many ways been like a second home to him the last several years. He wasn't necessarily one who had incurred a bad case of senioritis like many others in his class, but he still didn't think he would miss it too much. After all, he and M.J. would be going to college together, Ned would DEFINITELY be keeping in touch from MIT, and even Betty was hanging around. Yet, somehow, Peter couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness at the prospect of not walking down those familiar halls every morning, going to the familiar classrooms and hearing the same teachers. 

"It's hitting you, isn't it?" May asked. 

Peter took in a breath through his nose, letting it out the same way. 

"Yeah." 

\---

After slipping his blue robe on, it didn't take him long to find his friends as all the students and their families mingled outside while things were being finished.

"You guys ready for this?" Betty asked enthusiastically. 

"I have been ready for this," M.J. said dryly. 

"Of course you have," Ned teased. "I'm excited about what's next, but...I don't know. I think part of me is actually going to miss this place a little. What about you Peter?" 

Peter just smiled at first. 

"I guess I'm as ready as I can be," he settled on. 

"You know, that's a good life motto for you," Betty said, "you know, given...everything." 

Peter let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I guess you're right." 

"Oh, and of course, congratulations are in order for the both of you," Ned said, bowing and gesturing towards Peter and M.J. "You two really are like the unstoppable force that met the immovable object." 

"Who is who though?" M.J. challenged, raising an eyebrow towards Ned. Peter held back a chuckle at seeing his best friend nervously search for the answer. 

"Umm...hey, Betty, didn't your parents want some pictures before things get started?" Ned asked as he ushered his girlfriend away, leaving Peter to just shake his head. 

"You really like backing people into a corner, don't you?" Peter teased. 

"What can I say?" M.J. said, turning to face him. "It's one of my many talents." 

"One of many, for sure," Peter said, and he felt a deep satisfaction as M.J.'s face gave the faintest hints of a blush as she tried and failed to cover a smile. For a moment, the two just stood there, the world around them obsolete. Here they were, despite what felt like having acquired 10 years of struggle in only one, but when around each other, they were still just two kids finding their way in the world.

"I can't wait to hear your speech," M.J. said, offering a light smile. 

"Thanks," Peter said, "though I'm not sure how satisfied with it I am. I went through several drafts just to get to this point." 

"Peter..." M.J. hesitated a moment, seemingly uncertain if she should proceed with what she wanted to say. "If you don't especially want to, it's probably not too late for me to..."

"No," Peter said softly but firmly. "Thanks, but it's okay M.J. I got this." 

A bit of relief appeared to wash over M.J.'s face. He knew she was genuine in her offer, but he knew she still wasn't a huge fan of the idea either. At the end of the day, he was happy to do it. 

\---

Finally, the time came. After the initial greetings and graduation basics, Peter and M.J. were introduced as Midtown's covaledictorians to the applause of the crowd. They both shook hands with the principal, then it was time to walk to the podium. Peter shuffled over, taking out the paper that contained the words he would say as M.J. stood beside him. 

Clearing his throat, he began. 

"Good morning everyo..." Peter's ears suddenly stung a bit at the feedback from the microphone that briefly echoed throughout the area. 

Wow, what a great start. 

"Good morning everyone, from the faculty to the families of my fellow graduates," Peter said, his heart rate picking up with every word he spoke. "It's an honor to be standing here today." 

His eyes shifted out in the crowd towards May, who was thankfully close to the front, sitting next to M.J.'s mom. She appeared to suck in air and let it out. 

Breathe, she was telling him. 

Closing his eyes for a moment and taking a breath, Peter let it out slowly. Feeling a little more relaxed, he looked down at his paper to find his place before continuing. 

"Midtown Tech holds a lot of special memories for me. Whether it was participating in academic decathlon or the science fair, I've learned a lot from this place. However, there is one memory above all the others that I will never forget.

Not long after the Avengers brought those who had vanished back, including myself, we had to return to classes. At first, I was upset. What was I supposed to do, just show up and pretend like a world altering event hadn't happened? However, moments after entering through those familiar front doors, I looked to my right and saw my best friend, Ned Leeds. Words cannot express how happy I was to see him. We walked over to each other, performed our ritual handshake, then we hugged each other like we hadn't seen each other in...well, you get the point. 

In that moment, this place became something more than just a school...it became a refuge. Here were many of the people I cared about the most; here were the people I was my truest self around. This year, more than anything academic, I cherished the memories I made with them. Once more, things weren't exactly what you would call 'normal' for us, but I believe that we made the most of the time we had here. 

If there is one thing I could share with you today, it's this: the people you love are what matter the most in this world. I have no doubt that this class will go on to do things that will change the world and shape the future, but if we don't hold on to the people we care about in life, what does it matter? The title I wear today of valedictorian would mean nothing without having my friends and family to share it with. 

The things we achieve matter, but the people in our lives matter most." 

After thanking everyone from the teachers to the principle to anyone else he could think of, Peter concluded his speech. He was shocked when he was met with powerful applause. May of course led the way, clapping profusely and smiling proudly. Peter turned to M.J, who wasn't as intense in her clapping but appeared no less pleased in her smile. The two of them turned to take their appropriate positions on the stage. 

"You killed it," she said quietly in his ear. 

"Thanks," he responded. 

\---

After the ceremony was over, everyone of course had to get pictures with their diplomas and awards, especially the parents. Amidst all the craziness of it, Peter found himself being approached by Flash. 

"I have to give it to you Parker, that speech wasn't bad." 

"Thanks," Peter said. 

There was a momentary awkward silence before Peter broke it to ask how Flash's mom was doing. 

"It's day to day, but she's on the uptake, at least we think," he responded. 

"That's good," Peter said. 

"Look, Par...Peter, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," Flash said, catching Peter by surprise. "About everything, I mean. You didn't deserve all the misery I put you through." 

Peter took a couple steps closer to Flash. 

"Apology accepted," he said, holding out his hand for Flash to shake, which he did. 

"I'm not going to lie, I was worried this wouldn't go well," Flash admitted. 

"Yeah, I wasn't sure for a long time how I'd react if this day ever came either," Peter said. "So, what are you going to do now that we're done here?" 

"Uh, I don't know really," Flash said. "I think I'm going to take some time, try and figure some things out...but most of all I want to spend time with my mom." 

Peter nodded. "Well, I hope you figure it out." 

"Yeah man, you too," Flash said, holding out his fist, which Peter reached out and bumped with his own, and just like that, Flash turned and walked away. 

Wow, now two things had happened that Peter hadn't expected today: he had given a speech in front of hundreds of people that they seemed to actually like, and he had reconciled with the classmate who had been a thorn in his side for years. 

What was next?

\---

Finally, it was time for the afterparty. Peter, M.J, Ned and Betty had all decided to just do a joint graduation party at a local park instead of four individuals. Peter didn't mind this idea, since it was three less social commitments he stood a chance of being late to due to his responsibilities as Spider-Man. Besides, Betty was the only one that had a lot of extended family she was close to, so it just made sense anyway. 

For a while Peter meandered around and talked, all while Morgan hung out at his side for most of the time as Pepper talked with May and the other adults. She frequently introduced herself as his little sister, which made him smile every time without fail. M.J. took her around some as well, and seeing the two of them interact made Peter's heart swell with happiness. M.J. was going to be a great mother some day. 

Wow, he was really getting ahead of himself. 

He shook the way-off-in-the-future thought from his head just in time to see the Connors family walk up to him. 

"Hey Doc!" Peter greeted. "How are you feeling?" 

"Back to normal, thanks to you," he said. Despite his happy tone, Peter could see something resembling sadness in his boss and mentor's face. 

"Is there something else?" Peter asked. 

Connors turned to his wife, who nodded lightly before stepping away with their son for a moment. Whatever the good doctor was about to say, it was clearly a personal matter. 

"Peter..." the doc began, struggling to continue, "Martha and I have been talking in the days since the second incident, and...well, there's no easy way to say this. We're moving." 

Peter's eyes widened and shock. "You...you are?" he asked. "But, what about your research?"

"My research will continue," Connors reassured him. "I actually spoke to the head of an old facility I did research in before in Florida, and they said they had an opening for me to work in if I wished." 

"Oh," Peter said, swallowing. "That's good." 

"Peter, I'm sorry about this, especially for telling you on your big day," Connors said. "Martha and I talked while I was in recovery and..."

"It's okay, doc," Peter said, realizing where this was going. "If this is what's you and your family agree is best, then you should do it." 

Relief appeared to wash over Connors's face. "Thank you Peter," he said. "That...that means a lot to me." 

"No problem," Peter said. As the reality that the good doctor was leaving soon fully hit him, he realized he should've seen this coming. Twice now the man had been transformed into a monster; once by his own hand, the other by one of Peter's enemies. It only made sense for the man to want to get away. 

Peter just hated that he had to let go of yet another person as a result. 

"I'll still be working at the lab for a couple more weeks," Connors said, "and I'm going to do everything I can to make the university keep the position open for you after I'm gone." 

Peter allowed himself a light smile. "Thanks Doc." 

"No Peter, thank you," Connors said. "Not just for twice giving me my life back, but for everything else as well. I am proud to have worked with you, and I couldn't have made many of the advancements I made in my current research without your help. If you ever need anything, I'm only a phone call away, you understand?" 

"Yes sir," Peter said. 

\---

Once the party was over, there was still one more stop Peter had to make. He had Happy drive him, M.J, Ned and Betty, all still in their formal graduation outfits, out to the Midtown cemetery. They walked up to the tombstone of Adrian Toomes, where Liz was waiting for them. 

"Hey," Peter said as he walked up to Liz, embracing her in a brief hug. She didn't respond verbally, but the the tightness with which she returned the hug said all that needed to be said. The others also hugged her and offered their condolences before they stood in quiet reverence around the tomb that read "Adrian Toomes: Beloved Father." 

"Thanks for this," Liz said, fighting through the slow and steady stream of tears coming down her face. "He didn't have any real arrangements should something like this happen so...it just means a lot. 

"Of course," Peter said. Once again, Pepper had been graciously willing to step in and use her connections to make sure Adrian got a proper burial, even in spite of the fact he had tried to steal from Stark Industries at one point. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't save him," Peter added after a moment. 

"My dad made his choices," Liz responded. "Some were good, others...not so much. Still, in the end, he saved me." 

"He saved the city," Peter said, looking to Liz. "Without him taking the risk in sharing what he knew with me, New York might belong to that monster right now. Your dad died a hero, Liz." 

She then turned to Peter. "You've lost people before, right? Does this ever get easier?" 

Peter shook his head. "All we can do is remember the time we did have with them, and remember that we're not alone." 

Peter and the others then came around Liz, each one putting a hand or an arm around her as they all looked to the grave of the man who gave his life for his daughter.

The man who really saved the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I almost got it all in! There will be one final chapter after this, likely much shorter than normal, that will skip forward just a little bit for Peter to say goodbye to Ned as he heads off to MIT and find out what the fallout of Yuri's bold decision a couple chapters prior was. 
> 
> Ladies and gentlemen, we're almost there! 
> 
> I continue to lift up you all in prayer. Stay safe and healthy out there! 
> 
> "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Releasing his web, he performed an elegant backflip, landing in his best superhero pose. No one was there to see it, but it didn't stop him from feeling cool just like any other time he did it. He stood up and, not knowing what to do while he waited, began pacing around the roof. Thankfully, it was only a couple minutes before Yuri finally came through the door. 
> 
> "Sorry about that," she said, letting the door shut automatically behind her, "had a hard time getting away. Everyone seems to be making a big deal out of this." 
> 
> "It is a big deal," Peter assured her as he moved in her direction, extending out his hand for her to shake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: a promotion and a goodbye.

Peter came within view of the precinct, only to find that Yuri wasn't there yet. 

Of course, one of the rare occasions he was actually on time for something, the other party was not. 

Releasing his web, he performed an elegant backflip, landing in his best superhero pose. No one was there to see it, but it didn't stop him from feeling cool just like any other time he did it. He stood up and, not knowing what to do while he waited, began pacing around the roof. Thankfully, it was only a couple minutes before Yuri finally came through the door. 

"Sorry about that," she said, letting the door shut automatically behind her, "had a hard time getting away. Everyone seems to be making a big deal out of this." 

"It is a big deal," Peter assured her as he moved in her direction, extending out his hand for her to shake. "Which is why I wanted to say congratulations on your promotion...Captain Watanabe." 

Yuri let out a huff of light exasperation, but shook his hand anyway. 

"Thanks," she replied. "Honestly, I still can't believe things worked out this good. They didn't seem to know what to do with me over these last couple months, ever since I basically went rogue when we took down the Goblin and his operation." 

"Guess they just realized there was no one better," Peter said. 

"Or just that they could do better than that spineless excuse for an interim we had before me," Yuri replied. "Anyway, I'm glad you could make it." 

"Not a problem," Peter said, "though I can imagine there are better things to do to ditch a party other than meeting a masked man on a rooftop." 

"I wanted to thank you, first of all," Yuri said. "Honestly, without the intel you have been able to provide, we never would've had a chance to stop a lot of things this year."

"That goes both ways, ya know," Peter said. 

"True, which is why this promotion works so well for us," Yuri said. 

"You mean we don't have to keep this relatively on the downlow anymore?" Peter questioned. 

"I mean, it probably still wouldn't be wise to just have you walk into the precinct whenever you want," Yuri clarified, "but this position will allow me more freedom than when I was just a beat cop." 

"Glad something good came out of this at least," Peter said. "Well, the city has been pretty quiet recently, but you know what that means." 

"The next storm will probably be coming soon," Yuri replied. 

"I mean, this is New York after all," Peter said with a shrug. 

"Let's see if we can't get ahead of it this time," Yuri said. "I'm indulging everyone today, but tomorrow, we get back to work." 

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Captain," Peter replied, giving her quick salute. He started to walk over towards the edge of the building to take his leave, when he stopped and turned to her. 

"Oh, and Yuri," he said, "I just...I think Captain Stacy would be proud of you." 

Yuri's typically stoic expression softened, if only for a moment, before she responded, "you too." She then offered the faintest hint of a smile before turning and heading back inside. 

\---

The next morning, Peter was at Ned's bright and early. His best friend was heading into MIT a bit early for Freshman orientation, plus he'd gotten an offer for an internship at a local tech center, where he'd be learning more about the ins and outs of tearing apart and reassembling various computer systems. Peter was happy for his best friend's fortune, but he was sad that they had to cut their final summer together a couple weeks short. 

The two of them were unusually quiet as they worked on getting Ned's stuff packed up. He had, of course, waited until the last minute to do so, so there was plenty to keep them busy at least. May, M.J. and Betty were all there to help out as well. Betty might have actually been taking it even harder than Peter was, as nothing but sadness seemed to appear on her face anytime he caught a look at her. 

Finally, he was all packed up, and goodbyes were in order in the driveway. 

"Good luck Ned," May said, giving him a hug. "Be safe, and have fun up there." 

"I will, Mrs. Parker," Ned replied. Next was M.J.'s turn. She offered him a fist bump, which he accepted. 

"Don't be a stranger, dork," she said, her deadpan expression on full force, causing Ned to let out a chuckle. 

"Oh trust me, you can't get rid of me that easily," he said. Peter noticed Ned take a glance his way before he leaned in and whispered something in M.J.'s ear. Peter purposefully refrained from using his enhanced hearing to listen in, only to see M.J. nod. 

"You know I will," she responded. 

Finally, Betty couldn't help herself anymore. She through her arms around Ned, squeezing him tightly. 

"Call me when you get there, okay?" Peter could hear her say as she was clearly fighting back A LOT of tears. 

"Of course, babe," he responded. The couple then shared a kiss. 

"I love you," Betty said once they separated. 

"I love you too," Ned replied. 

Finally, it was Peter's turn. Ned walked over to him, and for a moment, neither one of them could seem to find the words to say. 

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Peter finally said. "Actually, you probably shouldn't do a lot of things I do do either." 

Ned smiled. "What options does that leave me with then?" 

"There's this tiny little grey area in between the two," Peter said, holding up two fingers in a similar manner to how Tony had years ago. "Just hang around there, and you'll be fine." 

Ned let out a chuckle, and the two friends went into their friendship handshake, moving from one motion to the other as smooth as ever before pulling each other into a tight hug. It all finally got to Peter, as a couple tears forced their way out of his eyes and streamed down his face. The two of them just stood there for a moment in a brotherly embrace, as if they could freeze time this way. In the end, however, they could only delay the inevitable, and they finally separated. 

"Good luck bro," Peter said, wiping his eyes with his arm. "Can't wait to hear all about it." 

"You too," Ned said. Peter's best friend then turned and walked towards the car, his parents filing into the front seats. Ned opened the back door, but stopped to take one last look back at everyone before stepping into the car, and closing the door. 

Within seconds, Peter was watching the boy who he considered a brother for nearly half his life heading off to start a new chapter. 

\---

"You okay?" 

Peter, suddenly shaken from his thoughts, realized he had no idea how deep they were into the random crime drama he and M.J. were watching. 

"Yeah, I guess," he replied halfheartedly. He then turned to meet M.J.'s eyes, which offered their skeptical "Yeah, I'm not buying it" look. 

"Okay, no, I'm not that okay," he answered more honestly. 

"It's okay," she offered. "I'm sure it's not easy, you know, having your best friend for years moving away." 

"I don't think it's even just that," he said. 

M.J.'s head tilted slightly as her face took on a more inquisitive look. "What do you mean?" 

Peter shifted his position on the couch so that he could face her better. 

"M.J, so much is changing or is about to change," he said. "Starting college, getting a new boss at some point at the lab, working more with Yuri..." 

He hesitated, trying to find the right words. M.J. remained quiet, patiently waiting for him to do so. 

"For most of my life, Ned has been one of the few things in my life that's been consistent," Peter finally continued. "We've been through so much together. I know that he'll be back when he can be, and we'll see each other again, but...it still feels in a way like I'm losing him." 

M.J. looked down for a moment, seemingly pondering her thoughts before responding. 

"I'm not exactly the best example of someone who's had any kind of consistency, ever," she admitted, "so I don't especially know what that feels like. I guess, and I know it's cliché, but just enjoy when you guys do see each other, and just give it time. You'll adjust." 

"I know how much you hate being cliché too," Peter teased. 

"Yeah, it almost hurt as it came out," M.J. said, a wry smile forming on her lips. 

"You're not wrong though," Peter said, "especially about the time thing. That's the problem with time though: you can't get there whenever you want." 

"No, you can't," M.J. said. 

Peter's eyes met hers, and something hit him. 

"I guess I should also be grateful for what, or rather who I do still have here with me," he said, offering her a smile. M.J. smiled back in response to this, a peaceful, contented smile. He would surely miss Ned, but M.J. wasn't going anywhere. Whatever they were to face during this transition, they would do it together. 

Really, there was no other way Peter would have it. 

Peter leaned forward, and M.J. met him in the middle as they shared a soft, gentle kiss...

Which was of course interrupted by the sound of sirens in the distance. Almost instinctively, Peter looked out into the night before turning back to M.J, a familiar guilt filling his heart. 

"Go," she said said, a light smile on her face. "I'll pop some fresh popcorn while you're gone." 

Peter smiled, giving her one more quick kiss before springing from the couch and running upstairs, quickly changing into his red and black suit. After slipping on his mask, he leapt out towards the city, firing a web and swinging off into the night. He was heading to face who knew what, just like he would be as he transitioned towards this new stage of life. 

But Spider-Man did it anyway. 

Therefore, so would Peter Parker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well folks, here we are. The End of Peter's Senior Year. 
> 
> It's crazy to think that 10 months, 11 stories nd over 250,000 words later, I'd finally be here. When I first started, this was just a new hobby I was trying out during quarantine, but it slowly became something I grew to love. As I neared the finish, I did admittedly begin to struggle a bit, as motivation became a bit difficult for some reason (which is something that seems to be common, from what other writers tell me), but I finally made it. 
> 
> To all who have followed me and supported me in any way along this journey: thank you so very much. I cannot adequately put into words how much your support has meant to me. Honestly, I didn't think anyone would really be interested in what I wrote, so your support has been quite the surprise blessing to me. 
> 
> Now, the all important question: what's next? 
> 
> Well, that's complicated to a degree. My personal circumstances are ever changing, as I am getting acclimated to a new job in addition to my current one, plus my wife and I are constantly preparing for our daughter's arrival in May. Plus, if I'm being honest, the thought of another series sounds a bit daunting at this time. 
> 
> I am working on a new story that is not tied to any of my previous works that I hope to post the first chapter of soon. Plus, for those who also follow my PS4 Spider-Man works, I hope to continue doing more of those. 
> 
> Could I come back one day and do a sequel series to this one, set during Peter's college years? At one point, I would've said absolutely, but for now, I'll just say I'm cautiously optimistic. If I do go through with such an idea, I will be making a roadmap for it before I even begin writing, so that alone would take quite awhile. Plus, like I said, I need a break from a series for a bit. 
> 
> Again, thank you all so much for your support. Please, feel free to leave feedback, either on this story or on the series as a whole. If you didn't like something, please be courteous and detailed, so that I may hopefully take something away from it and ultimately improve as a writer. I have mixed opinions about some choices as I made with this series, so I'd be curious to know your thoughts. 
> 
> Like I said, thank you so much. Know that I am continuing to pray for you all. Please, stay as safe and heathy, physically or otherwise, as you can. 
> 
> "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." John 3:16-18

**Author's Note:**

> I have been working on this for what has felt like ages, and I started to stress out about coming up with the perfect conclusion. That's when I refocused and decided to not worry about writing the perfect story and simply have a blast with this one. So....hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> Thank you to all who have followed my series so far! It's meant more to me than you can ever know, and I hope that this one can entertain you just as much, if not more, than everything before it has. 
> 
> My thoughts and prayers are with you all. Please, stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed..." Matthew 17:14-21


End file.
